


emboîté

by spacebeyonce



Series: fitted together [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ballet, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Photographer, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, I think....., Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 49,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23652040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacebeyonce/pseuds/spacebeyonce
Summary: Sora loved photography - it was in his blood, inherited, and he firmly grasped onto his dreams with both hands. Ten years later, he gets a job to photograph the dancers of the Radiant Garden Ballet, and runs into two people he never thought he'd see again.a slice of life about growing up, growing apart, and finding new ways to fit together.
Relationships: Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi/Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi/Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Sora & Vanitas & Ventus & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Sora & Sora's Father (Kingdom Hearts), Sora & Sora's Mother (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: fitted together [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2068008
Comments: 42
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! happy tuesday! I said I wasn't going to post this until I finished the entire thing. but I am many things, and one of those things is a liar.
> 
> since we're all stuck in the house all the time, I figure posting it in all its wip glory will be fine.
> 
> so. I've been wanting to do this forever. it's mundane and boring and there's no magic or other worlds in here at all. it's really indulgent of me and I'm leaning into it. it's gonna be a cute slice of life kinda deal and hopefully people like it. so on we go!
> 
> emboîté: a classical ballet term; 'fitted together'

Sora’s favorite photograph in the entire world is one that his father took of his mother.

She wasn’t looking at the camera, focused on the baby she was holding in her arms – Sora, only a few months old. Her black hair tumbled over her shoulder as she was captured, in the middle of smearing kisses across one of Sora’s chubby cheeks, his big blue eyes wide as they stared up at something beyond the camera – his father.

He adored it – even now, it resided in a frame on the nightstand near his bed, so he could always see it.

Sora _loved_ photography; he can pretty much say with all certainty that it runs in his blood. His father had a knack for it, and Sora was enchanted by it as he grew; he could fondly remember the many times he sat in his father’s lap at the beach, listening to him as intently as an eight year old could as he explained how his camera worked, and how to take the best pictures. His father would help him hold it up, peeking through the viewfinder to see the endless ocean, glittering in the sun as the waves pushed back and forth. He pressed down on the shutter and gasped at the loud clicking noise it made, his father pulling the camera away to inspect the picture he’d taken.

“Well, hey!” He smiled brightly at his son, “this looks pretty good, Sora! You’ve already got a good eye, don’t you?”

And after that, Sora never looked back; if his father went out to take pictures, Sora was eagerly at his heels, piping up and asking questions. When he got a little older, his father showed him the process to develop photos, how to dip the papers and slowly watch the photographs appear. “Ah,” his mother would sigh at them, a fond smile curving her lips, “a mini – Aouli in every way, it seems. Soon we’ll have to make more room for your pictures, too, huh?”

That _always_ brought a sparkle to his eye – his own pictures! That he took _himself!!_ He could barely imagine it. The idea felt like a dream.

But suddenly, when he turned thirteen, that dream came true.

“This one’s from your mother,” his father said as he handed him a small box, “Jun and I figured we’d get this for you when you were a little older, and, well – I think thirteen’s old enough.”

There were stars in his eyes as he eagerly unwrapped the gift, mouth falling open in a gasp as he gaped at the new camera in his lap. His eyes bounced between the camera and his parents, “really??” His voice was disbelieving, “mama, dad – really really??”

“Really!” His mother laughed brightly, “Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Now, before you run off, here’s another gift from your grandmother –”

After that day, he was rarely seen without his camera on his person; he took pictures of _everything_ – the ocean, the seagulls as they soared across the waves, the sunset when it was at its most perfect and golden. His friends grumbled halfheartedly whenever he snapped pictures of them at the play islands, but they humored him – they always, always humored him.

And as he got older, he could see his photos improving, getting _better_ – so when he was in high school, he entered his photographs in a few local contests. Sometimes, he even _won!!_ That still astounded him, sometimes.

“Do you think,” he’d asked his dad one day, leaning into his side, “that I can – I can make something, out of this? My pictures?”

“I think you can do whatever you want, if you really want to make something out of it.” His father’s voice was calm and sure as he wrapped an arm around him. “You’ve got a good talent, Sora – I know you can do something with it.”

So, in between filling out college applications…he tried. It’s not like he had anything to lose.

He knew the local café let people hang up art pieces, so he made his first attempt there, only putting up two framed photos and leaving his contact information in nervously made business cards – just in case. And for a while, he didn’t hear anything back, which was fine, and he continued to tell himself that as the days went on, until it was almost a week and…someone contacted him.

 _Someone contacted him_. Asking to buy one of _his photos_. It was surreal.

And then it _kept happening!!_ And every single time, Sora couldn’t believe it; but he had a dream and was eager to see it through.

He finally felt like he was onto something when an art museum on the main islands reached out to him, asking if he’d like to be part of one of their monthly local group exhibitions. He only had to bring in four photos, so he grabbed his favorites – a shot of the play islands, a boat on the horizon of the sea, cutting a white wake as it passed, a vibrant shot of a tide pool, and his dearest, best photo.

It was a picture of his two best friends, ankle deep in the surf, turned into silhouettes by the setting sun; their arms were outstretched, as though Sora had captured them mid-dance, and every time he looked at the picture he could hear them laughing.

His favorite, out of all the photos he took; he titled the entire corner of his exhibition _Destiny_ , after his home.

Sora brought his parents as his guests, and clutched at their hands with sweaty palms as people looked over his pictures and _complemented his work_ and felt –

He felt –

He looked around, at where he’d gotten so far, and felt his heart swell.

How much farther could he go?

-o-

“Heart to Hearth Photography, how can I help you -?”

Xion’s voice drifted down the hall as Sora absently tapped his pen against his desk while he scrolled through his inbox, checking over the emails that awaited him for the day. He hummed under his breath as he quickly skimmed through his mail – a request for a maternity shoot, a follow up giving thanks for the graduation portfolio they sent out, another request for a –

“Hey.”

He looked up at the light knock and smiled at the person leaning in the doorway. “Roxas!! Good morning, what’s up?”

“Got a new job.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “Xion just got a call and wants us all in to get informed. It’s an out of studio thing, but she says it’s pretty good.”

“Oh! Yeah, okay, I’ll be there in a sec!”

He quickly shut his computer down and was soon moving through the comforting halls to the front of their small studio. Sora has only been working at Heart to Hearth for a handful of years, but he feels more at home than he expected – certainly worth the risk of moving to a city like Radiant Garden.

They entered the front of the studio, Sora at Roxas’ heels, and Xion – receptionist and assistant photographer – gave them a wave as they neared her desk. Ventus and Vanitas – manager and wardrobe, respectively – were already waiting by the front desk, Vanitas leaning on the wood with a neutral frown as Ventus smiled in greeting.

“Good morning!” Sora said brightly as they approached, “Roxas said that there’s a new job?”

“Ah, yes!” Ventus looked tired, but his smile was still genuine, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Radiant Times reached out to us, just now; they’re doing a spread on the show that’s coming out soon with the Radiant Garden Ballet Theater and want us to take the pictures for it.”

“More specifically,” Xion cut in teasingly, “they were asking for _you_.”

“Oh –” Sora felt his stomach swoop, “me? Really?”

It’s a ridiculous thing to ask since he _is_ the head photographer, but…it’s still just so hard to believe.

“Of course it has to be you.” Roxas elbowed him in a gentle reprimand, “stop getting nervous, you’ve been doing this for what, five years now?”

“Six,” Sora mumbled, abashed, “but you’re right – I’m sorry. I’ll contact them and let them know that I’ll take the job. Did they have requirements?”

“Well,” Vanitas grunted, crossing his arms, “right now they’re about to start rehearsal and shit; they’ve got a while until the actual show, but they want moments from them rehearsing as well as the actual show. This is gonna be a long – term kind of gig.”

“I think you should bring Xion with you as well,” Ventus piped in, Xion jumping in her seat at the mention of her name. “This is a good time for you to get some more out of studio experience under your belt – Sora, you don’t mind, do you?”

“No, of course not!” He gave Xion a bright smile, “I’m always happy to have more help – this’ll be fun, won’t it, Xion?”

She returned his smile, and Sora felt a fizzle of excitement in his blood; he hasn’t had an out of studio project in quite some time. The last time he could recall was during the city’s annual fashion week, where he captured some new runway pieces from the Organization’s fashion line. That feels like forever ago, so having something new to do, something different – it feels good!

“Right!” He rapped his knuckles across Xion’s desk, “I’ll go and send an email to the Radiant Times, let them know I’m down for it and ask when I should reach out to the Theater. Ven, is that appointment at two still coming in -?”

And the day went on.

Sora quickly sent out the email before fully diving into what the day offered, and the occasional reminder of the possible job waiting for him sent a bolt of excitement through him. He didn’t have to wait two days before there was a reply, happily telling him that the job is his and he officially starts next week.

“And they’re paying you, right?” His mother asked him that evening, skeptical, and Sora laughed, picking through photos Roxas edited for him as he sat on his couch.

“Ma, I haven’t not gotten paid for my work since I was a kid. I promise, there will be a paycheck waiting for me at the end of this.”

“Good,” she sniffed, and Sora could hear that her tone was teasing. “Well, aside from work, how are things? City life treating you alright?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve settled down pretty well, now.” Pushing his laptop aside, Sora leaned into the arm of his couch, giving his full attention to his mother, “it’s been a few years, so I know my way around like a pro. Work’s great, of course, and I’m living somewhere comfortable. _And_ I’ve got a few friends, so I’m not a hermit or anything. I’m doing alright.”

“I’m glad.” His mother’s voice had softened, “you’re a grown man, obviously – but I’ll always worry. Can’t be helped. So -”

“Mommy!!” A little voice piped up, breaking into the lull in their conversation, “mommy, who are you talking to?”

“Your brother, sweetheart. Do you want to talk to him?”

“Yes!!”

“Alright, alright. Here, come say hi.”

Sora was already grinning as the listened to the rustle of the phone being passed over, and then a new voice was in his ear, closer than before. “Sora!!!”

“Who’s _this?_ ” He gasped dramatically, “there’s no way – is this Nalani? My baby sister??”

“It’s me!!” She giggled loudly, “Sora, it’s me!!”

“But you sound so _big!!_ No way is this my little Nalani.”

He can almost picture how she was probably puffing out her cheeks, “I’m only _eight_!! I’m still little!!”

“Well, if you _say_ _so_ , then I guess it’s really you,” he said, relenting with a laugh. “How are you? You’re being good for mom and dad, right? Not causing any trouble?”

“You took all the trouble with you!”

Sora groaned at that, wounded, and Nalani’s laughter was bright in his ear. “So mean - I don’t remember my sweet baby sister being this mean the last time I was there! And I was being serious, too! Really, how are you?”

“Good!” Nalani chirped, “Sora, Sora, listen – I’m in third grade, now! And in school today, we learned –”

Sora relaxed further into the couch, lips curled into a content smile as his sister rambled in his ear, about how she wasn’t fond of math but liked science, and learned that a starfish has to puke its own stomach out to eat, which, _gross_ – on and on until she was yawning into his ear.

“Alright, Na-Na, you should probably head to bed.” He said gently, after almost forty minutes have passed.

“But I’m not tired,” she protested weakly, “I wanna talk with you a little more.”

“You can call me tomorrow night, okay? Mom and dad have to get some sleep too, right? So you can’t keep them up all night.”

“I _guess_ ,” she grumbled, still reluctant. “Hey…Sora?”

“Mm?”

“You’re gonna come visit soon, right? Summer vacation is coming and I wanna see you.”

His heart ached at her words, “yeah, I’ll – I’ll try and come down for a while. Maybe I can take some time off. We can go to the beach and I’ll try and teach you surfing, how about it?”

“She is eight, Sora,” his mother butted in, always the voice of reason, “you can do regular old _swimming_ and that’s it.”

“Awwww,” both of them grumbled, and his mother couldn’t help but laugh.

“So alike,” she sighed, “alright, Nalani – say goodnight to your brother and start heading to bed.”

“O _kay_ ,” his sister sighed, and he could picture her pouting. “Goodnight, Sora. I love you.”

“I love you, too – sleep well, okay?”

More rustling as Nalani handed the phone back to their mother, and then she was gone.

“It would be nice,” his mother finally said, “seeing you again. We didn’t even get to celebrate your birthday this year. I know you were just here for Christmas but –”

“No, I get it. I miss you, too.” Resting his chin on his fist, Sora gazed out the window, eyes drifting across the sprawling, well-lit cobblestone streets. “I _will_ see what I can do. Maybe I can get some time off.”

“That’d be nice. It’s only fair – you’ve been working very hard.” He could hear the smile in his mother’s voice, “well – I know it’s getting pretty late. I should let you go, get some sleep. Do you want to talk to your father for a moment?”

Sora hummed in reply, already reaching for his laptop, “no, I’ll give him a call tomorrow. Tell him I said goodnight, though – and I love him.”

“Will do. And actually _get some rest,_ Sora – put the computer away and go to sleep. Understand?”

“I will, I will!” he laughed, “I’m answering one more email and then I’m going to bed – promise.”

His mother hummed in disbelief, “alright then. Sleep well, sweetheart. I love you.”

“Love you too, mama. Goodnight.”

After ending the call, Sora quickly pulled up his email and refreshed his inbox, just to make sure that nothing new didn’t come in before he logged off for the night. Sure enough, a small handful of new messages made their way in, and Sora’s eyebrow ticked up at the message that sat at the top – from the Radiant Garden Ballet Theater.

Biting at his thumb, he decided that it would be best to look over it now, to figure out if it warranted an immediate response, and clicked on the header to open the message.

_Sora,_

_I want to thank you for your time, and to also thank you for agreeing to work with us; I have seen some of your previous work and believed that you would be best for the task at hand._

_I am sending this message to give you the bare bones of our itinerary – for eight weeks, our dancers will be participating in rehearsal, five days a week from eleven in the morning to seven in the evening. For the actual performance, there will be a show every night for the next three weeks._

_We will be expecting you to arrive at the theater on Monday at 10am sharp, so that we can give you a quick tour and show you around so that you can get used to the place._

_Thank you again, and I look forward to working with you._

_Enjoy your weekend,_

_Mme Aqua_

_Dance Instructor_

_Radiant Garden Ballet Theater_

“Good to know,” Sora murmured to himself, finally closing out of the window and shutting his laptop down, “that can keep until the morning, I think.”

Rising from his curled position on the couch, he stretched, groaning loudly as his back popped, rubbing at a knot between his shoulders as he shuffled to his room. “Eleven to seven,” he mumbled, “these are going to be some really long days.”

He wasn’t feeling too trepidatious about it, though; even in the face of the demanding days, the excitement remained.

It was hard to explain but – he just felt like something good was going to come from this.

-o-

“So…” Xion tapped her fork against her plate, “tomorrow, huh.”

“What, are you getting nervous?” Sora joked, reaching for his coffee.

It was Sunday, and Sundays were always the Heart to Hearth brunch date, or, as Sora fondly put it on their group calendar, Heart Squad Brunch – a name that Roxas has tried to change multiple times, but Sora valiantly kept alive.

The weekly meetups had started out as just one impromptu meeting, set up by Ventus to plan out the coming appointments for the coming week, and somehow, they just…kept going. Now every Sunday morning they meet up at the Bastion Diner - sometimes to plan for work, but usually to just meet up and chat. What had started as a random work meeting slowly tumbled into all of them becoming friends.

Xion glared at Sora, defiantly stabbing at her plate and shoving a forkful of potatoes into her mouth. “I,” she declared around a mouthful of food, “am twenty-six years old. I am too old to be nervous about work.”

“And yet.”

“Don’t encourage him,” she said sharply, jabbing her fork at Roxas, who put a hand up in surrender.

“Okay, okay – you’re a big, strong woman that isn’t worried about anything.”

“Uh, yeah, I absolutely am.”

“You literally don’t have shit to worry about,” Vanitas butt in, “Ventus knows the main instructors, so we’ve got it on authority that this job is gonna be the easiest shit you’ll ever do. Unless somehow you _do_ fuck it all up.”

“Wait, pause!! Ven!! You know the instructors??” Now Xion swung her accusing fork towards Ventus, who looked up from his pancakes with wide eyes. “And you didn’t even tell us??”

“ _How_ would that even come up??” Ventus asked helplessly, “I can’t just randomly throw that into a conversation!”

“Well you can _now._ So, c’mon, Ven! Details!”

“What is there to tell?” He huffs, rolling his green eyes, “we’re friends, you know – we’ve known each other for a while, way back. Vanitas knows them, too, he just likes being a goddamn liar all the time.”

“They’re _your_ friends, Ventus, not mine.”

“Oh, is that why you always come by whenever they invite us to dinner for the holidays? Did I hallucinate you being one of the guests at their wedding, too?”

“Shut the _fu_ –”

“Okay!” Roxas cut in, clapping a hand on Vanitas’ shoulder and stopping the squabbling before it really got started. “Quiet voices please - I don’t want to get banned from this place.”

Vanitas grudgingly settled down, scowling at Ventus, who made a face right back at him, unrepentant.

Sora took in their bickering with a quiet laugh, “well, if they’re friends with you two, then I’m sure it won’t be all that bad. See, Xion, nothing to worry about!”

“I’m not _worried_ -!”

“Alright kids, no fighting,” Ventus said, his turn to jab his fork at the two of them, and Roxas made a face at his tone. “Yeah, alright, _dad_.”

Ventus reeled back, placing a hand on his chest. “Roxas,” he said, aghast, “that’s the most hurtful thing you’ve ever said to me. Oh my god. Am I that old??”

“You’re thirty-six,” Vanitas said flatly.

“Okay?? Is that old?? Do I _look_ like a dad or something??”

The bickering started back up, quieter this time, and Sora turned at the gentle nudge to his side, looking over at Roxas. “You good?” He said, “you haven’t really been saying much.”

“You’re one to talk.” He smiled, “I’m alright. Just thinking.”

“ _That’s_ dangerous. Are you actually worrying?”

Sora let out a snort, draining the remaining coffee in his mug, “I have been doing this for too long to worry, Roxas. If anything, I’m really excited! This’ll be fun! I’ve just got something else on my mind, no big deal.”

He was starting to wonder why the assumption of nerves was being thrown around; it’s not like he hasn’t done out of studio jobs before. There wasn’t anything to worry about – it was fine.

And it _was_ ; Sora coasted through the rest of his Sunday without any worries, spending the rest of the day tidying his apartment, making sure his equipment was packed and waiting for him by his front door, and that he had the correct address for the Radiant Garden Dance Academy saved in his phone.

He was as ready as he could get, he decided, nodding to himself decisively. After double checking everything, _just in case_ , Sora turned out the lights and went to bed, setting three alarms, just to be safe.

But it turns out he didn’t need the extra precaution – he woke up just fine. And then, his Monday began. The start of his new assignment.

“Alright!” Sora said brightly, hitching his equipment bag on his shoulder as he and Xion walked up the stone steps to the Radiant Garden Dance Academy. “First day on the job – you ready, Xion?”

“Mmm…” She clutched at the strap of her back, looking at the looming building with wide eyes. They paused for a moment, and Sora placed a hand on her shoulder, “hey, Xion?”

Once she was looking at him, he smiled, “remember – you’re a big, strong woman who doesn’t get nervous about work. You’re good at photography, Xion – just trust your gut. Okay?”

“I’m _not_ nervous,” she protested weakly, her shoulders dropping as she relaxed, “…but thanks, Sora.”

He pulled open one of the glass doors, holding it open and letting Xion pass through, before entering the building behind her. It was an impressive lobby with large windows and marble floors – cozy, somehow, but still elegant. And waiting for them there was a woman, tall and willowy, long blue hair braided and tossed over her shoulder. Once they were close enough, she greeted them with a smile, “Sora, yes? From Heart to Hearth?”

“That’s me!” He grinned, sweeping a hand towards Xion, “and this is Xion – she’s our assistant photographer and will be helping on this assignment. We look forward to working with you!”

Xion nodded in greeting, and the woman smiled warmly at them, “I look forward to working with you, as well. I’m Aqua, main dance instructor for this troupe – are you ready for the quick tour?”

“Yes, please!”

She led them through the lobby and up the stairs, pointing out the rooms and facilities as she went. “Restrooms are down this hall,” she directed, “and locker rooms are over here. We have a cafeteria on the main floor as well, for our dancers, and you’re welcome to partake if need be. Now –”

Aqua led them up another short flight of stairs, gesturing down a long, expansive hallway. “Down this hall are individual rehearsal rooms – places where our dancers go to work individually on a piece, usually. But here –”

She pushed open two large wooden doors, gesturing them in with a proud smile.

“– is primarily where our dancers practice.”

“Wow,” Sora whispered softly, and Xion’s mouth opened slightly in awe as they entered the large space, filled to the brim with sunlight from the large windows that spanned across the room. The walls were lined with mirrors, long wooden bars attached to them for the dancers. And there, sitting along the mirrored walls across the room in various states of comfortable dress, sat a dozen dancers, their voices rising and falling as they chatted among themselves, laughing and stretching.

A few dancers were still trickling in, so Aqua gestured them towards one of the walls, and they made their way over to not block the door. As Sora and Xion set their bags down, a man walked over to them – tall, dressed in a loose shirt and sweatpants, with brown hair and kind brown eyes.

“Sora, Xion,” Aqua said, “I’d like to introduce you to Terra. He’s our other dance instructor and also our main choreographer. Terra, Sora and Xion are the photographers that are going to take the photos for the paper.”

“I remember.” He smiled at them, crow’s feet wrinkling in the corners as he reached out for quick handshakes, “it’s nice to meet you both. I hope we work well together.”

Placing his hands on his hips, Terra turned and surveyed the room, eyes sharp. “It looks like everyone’s here,” he murmured, “guess we can introduce you to the kids.”

He clapped twice, loud, and the room instantly fell silent, heads lifting as Terra called for their attention.

“Alright everyone,” he said, his deep voice carrying across the room, “I hope you remember the conversation we had last week, about the photographers coming in for our upcoming show?”

Terra swept an arm out towards them, and Sora stepped up with a smile, Xion quickly at his side. “These photographers have been kind enough to give us their time; they will be with us for most of our rehearsals, so I’m sure you’ll be familiar with each other by the time showtime comes around.”

He casts a stern look at the dancers, “be sure to give them your best; we’re expected to be in the Radiant Times. So – don’t embarrass me. Now, if you’d like to introduce yourselves?”

“Hello.” Xion gave a shy smile as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, “I’m Xion. Good to meet you all.”

Sora stuck a hand in his back pocket, cocking his head with a wide grin, “And I’m –”

“ _Sora??”_

He froze at the stunned call of his name, the voice that reached his ears so familiar he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise with surprised chills.

“Oh –” He heard Aqua say through the blood suddenly pounding in his ears, “you two know him-?”

He could feel Xion’s eyes, concerned as the bored into the side of his head; his hands were shaking – why? Sora exhaled slowly, his composure cracking to pieces as he turned his head and saw –

-o-

Back on Destiny Islands, Sora had two best friends.

They spent nearly every day together, and the islanders always sighed about how when you saw one running, the other two were sure to follow.

His _best_ friends – Riku and Kairi.

For as long as Sora could remember, they were always with him; his mom would happily tell anyone that he and Riku pretty much shared a crib, attached to each other since birth. Kairi didn’t come along until later, and Sora remembered it vividly – a little get-together his family was invited to when he was four, a welcoming celebration for the mayor, who had adopted a daughter. Kairi, looking small and overwhelmed at the attention, sticking close to her father for most of it while he and Riku ran across the beach, the two of them only stopping to stare in awe at the meteor shower that happened near the end of the night.

As the party was slowly wrapping up, Kairi had quietly come to sit with them near the end of the meteor shower, and after that night, they were together ever since.

They were rarely seen apart, always playing together, doing schoolwork together – sometimes just sitting together in silence, watching the clouds.

Things started to change a little when they were ten.

Sora had already known by then that he loved photography, was starting to have the inkling of maybe trying to take his own photos, one day. And around the same time those ideas were forming, Riku came up to him and said, “so you know how my mom is a dancer?”

Quickly, Riku’s mother came to mind – miss Minato, really, really nice, makes the best chocolate chip toffee cookies he’s ever had – and a former ballerina. Sora nods, “yeah, I remember. What about it?”

Riku scuffed his shoes against the sand, face scrunched up in thought, and Sora cocked his head, confused. “I’m gonna take dance classes,” he finally blurted out, “this summer.”

“Oh!!” Sora perked up, “Riku, that’s so cool!!”

“…You think so?”

“Yeah, of course!”

He didn’t think much of it at the time – he was _ten_ , no one really thinks that things would change so much when you’re ten. But they did.

Riku started dancing. And eventually, Kairi got interested and wanted to learn, too. After that things got…busy. It was easier to make it work, when they were young, still able to make time to see each other and run off to the play islands until dark.

But the further they got into high school, the harder it became to see each other.

See – the three of them, they were all pretty competitive in their own ways, always wanting to be the best, to come out on top. When they were young, it showed in the races they had as children, trying to be the fastest runner, the best climber. Once he’d gotten his camera, Sora was obsessed with bettering his technique, to always get the perfect shot, to find the best possible angles, the perfect lighting.

And Riku and Kairi, well – if they were competitive before, it was _nothing_ compared to now. They were always on each other, pushing each other higher and higher to have better jumps, smoother turns and transitions. They wanted to be the best, wanted to see each other _at_ their best, and they would work each other to the bone to achieve it.

“I want to be the best,” Kairi would always declare, a challenging light in her eyes, “and I want you right up there with me.”

So slowly…they started to see each other less.

Sora didn’t notice it until he tried to invite Riku over to watch movies and he couldn’t because he had dance practice. Or when Kairi tried to set up a video game date, and Sora had to ask for a raincheck because he was going to try and sell some of his pictures at the local café. It slowly became trying to see each other but missing each other because of an exhibition, because of practice, because of competitions.

They were starting to grow apart, slowly – and it scared him.

Sora was able to get one last chance to spend time with Riku and Kairi – one entire day to themselves, where they could hang out and talk as much as they wanted – and it came the day after graduation.

One last perfect day, before they split up for good – Riku and Kairi, off to one of the best performing arts schools in a city north of Radiant Garden, and Sora to a university in Twilight Town that had one of the best photography courses.

They met at the play islands, with overnight bags slung over their shoulders in preparation for them camping out at the treehouse for the night. They each made sure to bring some food for them to share – _real_ food, because one can only survive off of junk food for so long, and Sora brought a few games they could play, if need be, but it turns out they didn’t need them, after all.

As soon as their belongings were situated, they built a fire pit for later, once it got dark, and then spent the rest of the afternoon tearing across the play islands in a way they hadn’t been able to since they were children. Sora took pictures of them, when he could, and Kairi and Riku humored him, as they always did.

It would be the last pictures he’d get to take of them for a while.

Eventually, they ended up at their paopu tree, sitting together and watching the sun slowly sink into the horizon.

It was Kairi that finally voiced the worries Sora had on his heart. “Everything’s going to change, isn’t it?”

Sora bit his lip, “…hasn’t everything changed already?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean –” he ran a hand through his hair, “I think…this is the first time we’ve been able to _really_ spend time together in a _while_. What if – what if, with school and – and whatever comes after that…we just…can’t be friends anymore?”

Sora felt a stab of apprehension just for bringing his fear out into the open; the worry of them splitting apart, and then coming back together and not being able to fit anymore.

“Sora,” Riku finally said, “you don’t believe that. I know you don’t.”

“But –”

Riku shook his head, arms crossed over his chest as he finally turned away from the sunset to lay his bright eyes on him. “do you really think a little time apart is going to make us stop being friends?”

“Hasn’t it started to already??” Sora asked helplessly, his heart refusing to settle, “we barely got to see each other as it is – and now that we’re all going so far away I can’t – I can’t help but worry –”

He could hear Kairi scoot closer, feel her slide a hand into the hair at the nape of his neck, and he wanted to relax, to beat his fears back until they were quiet – this was their _last day together_ and he didn’t want to _ruin_ it, he – he wanted –

A tug on his wrist brought him back to earth, and he looked down to see Riku standing in front of him, one finger hooked on one of the bracelets around his wrist.

“What, did we make these bracelets for nothing?” Riku asked, his voice light and joking, and Sora looked down at the bracelets with a frown.

They made them when they were thirteen – friendship bracelets, one from Riku and one from Kairi. The beads softly clinked together, a tiny glass paopu charm hanging in the middle, and Sora gnawed at his lip. “…No,” he finally said, his voice a whisper, “but –”

“Do you remember what your mom said to us, when she showed us how to make these?” Kairi cut in. He could hear his mother’s voice echo in his head, soft and calm as she instructed them how to string the beads together. Sora fidgeted, wanted to mess with the beads around his wrist, but Riku’s hand was in the way. “…That the things you make are stronger,” he finally mumbled, “because of the intent you put into it.”

“Yes.” Kairi’s hand moved from the nape of his neck, and she moved closer, until they were pressed together at the hip, and wrapped her arm around him, leaning her head against his shoulder. “When I was making your bracelets,” she said quietly, over the hush of the waves, “I put my hopes into them. My wishes. That no matter what, no matter how far or how long we’re apart, we’ll always be friends. We’ll always be together.”

Sora looked over at her, just in time to see her smile, placing her free hand on the bracelet she made for him. “This is the longest we’ll ever be apart from you,” Kairi continued, “and I’m a little scared of it, too. But I think as long as we work hard to stay together, even when we’re so far, it’ll be alright.”

“Don’t worry so much, Sora,” Riku scolded, a touch of fondness in his tone, “we’re only a phone call or text away, alright? And there’s always the holidays. We’ll see each other then.”

He stared at them, his best friends, bouncing between their faces and their hands, hooked around the bracelets they made for him. Eventually, he smiled, “…you’re right. Both of you. I’m sorry; I know it’ll be okay, I just –”

“Worry. We know.” Riku took a step back, his fingers sliding away, “you get stuck in your head sometimes. It happens. Now, come on.”

He held out a hand to each of them, “it’s getting dark. Let’s start the fire before the sun’s completely gone and eat something.”

Sora and Kairi accepted Riku’s helping hand off the tree, and together they made their way back to their makeshift camp to settle down for the evening. And after that talk, after their reassurance, Sora felt a weight lifted off his heart – believed that it really was that simple, that they really wouldn’t drift apart.

They were able to keep it up until their second year at university.

It was small, at first – a missed call here, a late response to a text there. But they were still trying to make up the difference, still making up the empty gaps with rushed texts and calls and talking until dawn during school breaks.

But then assignments kept piling up. And then it was exhibitions, auditions, interviews, internships, shows – and then next thing Sora new, it was much too late to try and respond to an ignored text or a missed call. And then it just kept piling up. They just kept missing each other, until one day, there just weren’t any texts or calls at all.

By then he was in his early twenties, graduated and working and too busy to ponder the loneliness in him, that leftover empty ache of something missing.

His biggest fear came true, it seemed, and the bracelets on his wrist now felt like a weight he couldn’t slough off.

A few times he tried to reach out to them, held his phone in his hand and let his thumb hover over a new message, staring at the blinking cursor for a moment before letting the screen turn black and tucking the phone away. Something stops him, always, and he wasn’t sure what to name it – fear, maybe. Fear of getting confirmation that they outgrew each other. That everything’s too awkward, now. That they left each other behind.

 _You always get stuck in your head_ , Riku would scold him, _don’t worry so much._

But after all they did to reassure him that day, all those years ago, look at where it got them.

And now –

-o-

\- Now, as Riku moved towards him, a stunned look on his face, the first words Sora says to him after almost a decade of distance is:

“Did your hair get longer?”

He was rooted to the spot, his voice faint as he tried to keep his composure, and he wanted to die because _that’s_ the first thing he says??

Sora’s thoughts must have been showing on his face, because Riku snorted quietly with laughter, running a hand through the curtain of hair that almost reached his waist. “Yeah, it did – that’s what happens after a few years, didn’t you know?”

“ _Move it_ , Riku!!” Another voice piped in, and Kairi’s voice struck him like lightning as she elbowed Riku to the side and _leaped_ at him.

It was only through years of dulled instinct that he was able to catch her, and suddenly she was pressed close, solid and so, so _real_ in his arms.

“I can’t believe it’s you!!” Kairi stepped back a little to smile up at him, wide enough to show her dimples, and even after so long it apparently still drove him crazy. “It’s so good to see you again, it’s been so long!!”

“Ah –” Sora cleared his dry throat, his eyes bouncing between his two long lost best friends, “yeah. I’m glad to see you two again, too!”

“This is insane!! Aqua!! Terra!!” She peeked over his shoulder to stare at her bemused instructors, “how come you didn’t say it was _Sora??_ ”

“How am I supposed to know that was going to be _need to know information_?” Aqua asked with a raised eyebrow.

“And as nice as this is,” Terra spoke up, “Sora still has work to do, here, so if you could please -?”

“Ah! Yes! Sorry for interrupting!!”

Giving one last squeeze to Sora’s arms, Kairi reluctantly stepped back. “We should have dinner after this to catch up,” she said, and behind her Riku nodded in agreement. “That would be nice. Are you free after this, Sora?”

“Uh- yeah! Yeah, I’m – I’m free. That’d be nice, let’s do it!”

They both smiled at him, delighted, and Sora felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest as they returned to their seats on the floor and Sora returned to where he was standing with Xion, resolutely not looking at the gaze he could _still_ feel boring into his head.

“ _Dude_ ,” Xion hissed at him as they finished their interrupted introductions and moved to grab their equipment, “you’ve got some _explaining_ to do.”

“ _I_ have explaining to do??” Sora whispered back, incredulous, “I didn’t even know that was going to _happen!!_ ”

“How do you just _not know_ that you’re going to be working with friends?? _Hot_ friends, at that. Don’t y’all text or something??”

Sora cringed a little at that question, stubbornly ignoring the part where Xion said they were _hot_ , fiddling nervously with the camera in his hands, “we kinda just…lost track of each other…in college.” He said slowly, and he could hear Xion’s eyebrows rise in judgement.

“We just – we got really busy!!” He defended himself, shoulders hunching to his ears, “and then we just kept missing each other, and forgetting to text, and it just –”

Sora shrugged helplessly, and Xion’s eyes softened as she reached out to pat him on the shoulder. “Well, now you have a dinner date with your hot friends to look forward to, so you can catch up.”

Heat flared across his cheeks, and Sora sputtered, “it’s _not_ -!!”

“Oh, not like _that_. We call brunch day a date, don’t we? Now come on – we’ve gotta get to work.” Xion rose to her feet, holding her camera to her face and adjusting the focus. Sora heard the lovingly familiar click of the shutter as Xion took a test shot of the dancers as they stretched, and it made him swallow his protests as it reminded him what they were here to do.

Terra clapped again, bringing the dancers to attention, and one by one they rose to their feet, lining up along the barres attached to the walls. “Alright, kids, let’s get into the real warm up, and then you can show off a little before we get serious.”

A trill of laughter echoed across the room, and as Aqua stepped into the middle of the room, all the dancers quickly fell into position, backs straight and one arm curved by their sides. Sora found himself going through the motions, raising his camera now and then to take a photo, moving around the room to shoot at different angles and doggedly trying not to look in Riku and Kairi’s direction.

But eventually he had no choice but to look at them, after Terra, who had moved to stand against the large stereo near the door, called out, “everyone warmed up enough? Good. Now – remember that piece we learned a year ago, in the summertime?”

Voices rose in excitement, and without needing to be told everyone in the room scrambled into position, moving into five rows of three. A flash of red caught Sora’s eye, and he saw Kairi dart to the front of the row further left, while Riku moved smoothly into position in the middle. He caught Riku’s eye for a moment, and he threw a smile Sora’s way before turning back to the front.

Sora and Xion shared a quick look across the expanse of the room, wondering what was about to happen –

The [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGl5Cg74pAI) started, a rushed, fast-paced tangle of strings echoing throughout the room - and then they started to dance.

Sora felt his jaw drop open, and after a moment he had to remind himself that he had a job to do, collecting himself to slowly move around the room, holding his camera up to occasionally snap a photo. He caught a perfect moment where they had all leaped into the air, synchronized, and then found himself lowering his camera just to watch, because –

Because –

The last time he saw Riku and Kairi dance was when he was sixteen years old. Even when they were so young, Sora thought that his friends were incredibly talented – but that could’ve been him being biased. But now, after so many years –

They moved beautifully; refined, sharp, but still a hint of their own style in the way they moved. His eyes traced the graceful bend and curve of Kairi’s spine, the clean lines of Riku’s long legs as he raised his arms overhead, and he absently brought his camera to his eye to capture them.

Across the room, Sora caught Xion’s eye as she lowered her camera, and she raised her eyebrows at him and mouthed ‘wow’ with a bright, awed smile.

Around them, the strings played on, accompanied by the thud of feet and rustle of bodies, harmonized, and Sora smiled back.

 _Wow, indeed_ , he mused to himself, bringing his camera back to his eye.

He couldn’t wait to see more of what these dancers had to offer.

-o-

“You still up for dinner?”

Sora looked up from zipping his bag closed to see Kairi standing above him, arms behind her back. The setting sun was streaming through the large windows, bathing the room deep gold, and Kairi’s hair looked fiery in the light.

“Oh – oh yeah, of course. I’m starving. Probably not as much as you guys are, though!” Hitching his bag onto his shoulder, Sora groaned quietly as he rose to his feet, knees popping loudly. “Ugh, I’m so old,” he grumbled to himself, and Kairi snorted loudly, rolling her eyes. Oh, please, you’re not old – you’re what, twenty-six now, yeah?”

“Twenty-seven,” he corrected, “birthday was a month ago.”

“A mo – of course!! I can’t believe I forgot!”

She looked genuinely contrite, and Sora shook his head. “Please, don’t feel bad – it’s been years, it happens. Anyway – dinner? Is Riku still up for it?”

“Of course he is.” Kairi jerked a thumb over her shoulder, “he’s just talking to Naminè, and then we’re gonna clean up before we go – we’re both pretty gross.”

Sora looked away from where Kairi had pointed at Riku, who was talking to a girl with long blonde hair as they packed away their towels and water bottles, and focused back on Kairi, who was plucking at her sweat-stained shirt with a grimace.

“…You go ahead and get cleaned up,” he finally said, “I’ve gotta talk to Xion really quick, anyway. See you soon?”

“Yes! We’ll meet you downstairs in twenty or so.”

She smiled, and Sora watched her turn and head to where Riku was standing, placing a hand on his arm, before turning away and walking towards Xion, who was standing a few paces away from the door, tapping away at her phone.

“Hey,” he said when he was close enough, “do you need a lift home?”

“Nah, I’m good,” she said, pocketing her phone, “I just sent a text to Roxas – he said he’ll come get me.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“…You alright?” Xion finally asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked up at him. Sora hummed as he thought, leaning up against the wall next to the door. “Just nervous,” he admitted.

“Why?”

Xion always wants him to spell it out instead of dancing around it, so they can get to the heart of things faster. His lips twitched up in a tiny smile, “…it’s been such a long time. What if we don’t get along anymore? What if we don’t fit?”

There – it was out in the air. He’s gotten better at admitting his fears.

Sora didn’t receive an answer for a while, Xion looking at the departing dancers with lips pursed in thought. Eventually, she slipped out of the room, gesturing for Sora to follow, and together they quietly made their way down the hall.

“Sora,” she finally said, “just find out how you fit _now_. Together or apart, people always change – that’s just part of getting older.”

“Mm.”

“Don’t get so in your head.” Xion nudged him with her elbow, and in his head, he can hear Riku’s voice, back when they were so much younger – _you get stuck in your head sometimes. It happens._

“Seriously,” she continued as they continued down the stairs to the main lobby, “don’t stress too much about it – you’re meeting up with old friends! That’s exciting! Just enjoy that for now – anything else can come later, okay?”

Sora didn’t reply as they entered the main lobby, and they stood there together, watching the sky darken as the sun slowly set until Roxas arrived.

“Thanks, Xion,” he finally said as her phone lit up with a text, announcing Roxas’ arrival, and Xion rolled her eyes with a smile. “I’m not saying anything groundbreaking – you’re just a worrywart. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

She reached out, grabbed his hand and squeezed it, and from the corner of Sora’s eye, he saw Riku and Kairi descend the stairs and enter the lobby. “Yeah,” he said, squeezing her hand with a smile “see you tomorrow.”

“Oh- _ho_ ,” a teasing voice said behind him as Xion walked out the doors, and Kairi sidled up next to him, eyes bright. “What was _that?_ Something special?”

She wiggled her eyebrows, and Sora couldn’t help but make a face, wrinkling his nose. “Ew, no. Xion’s like my sister, c’mon Kairi.”

“That was a pretty cozy-looking moment, though.” An arm slipped around his shoulders, and Riku pressed against his other side with a shit-eating grin. “You telling us the truth, Sora?”

“ _Guys_ ,” he groaned, exasperated, “god, why did I agree to go to dinner with you.”

“Because we’re charming.” Riku said, smiling cheekily, “and we’ve missed you. Anyway, are you ready to go?”

He blinked for a second, flustered at the easy admission before Riku’s question registered.

“Ah – yeah! And I’m driving, so don’t worry.” Sora pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, jingling them lightly, “I know a good place around here, so we can just eat there, if that’s alright?”

He takes them to the Bastion Diner, because that’s the only good place he could think of, at the time – that, and he wanted the comfort of the familiar scenery to balance reuniting with his old friends. He thought about taking them the usual table he goes to for Heart Squad Brunch but decides against it – that’d be too weird. A little _too_ much overlap.

So he guides them to a different table, and after ordering drinks and food, there was nothing left to save him from the one thing he was dreading – Riku and Kairi’s full, undivided attention.

“So, how’ve you been?” Riku asked, folding his arms atop the surface of the table, “I know you went to that college out in Twilight Town, but we kinda lost track of you, after that.”

“Right! Well, after I graduated, I was kinda doing my own thing for a little bit, you know? Some freelance work, a couple exhibitions and galleries – I’ve been doing pretty good! Roxas, my old roommate in college, he put me on to Heart to Hearth, ‘cause they had a spot open for a photographer, and I’ve just –”

He shrugged, “I’ve been here ever since. It’s been a while, now, like – what, six years now? Now I’m the head photographer there, which is pretty cool! But yeah…I’ve been in Radiant Garden ever since. What about you two? I can’t believe you’ve been so close all this time!!”

“I know!!” Kairi laughed brightly, “small world, isn’t it? We’ve been in Radiant Garden for, what, three years? Four?”

“Just about.” Riku shrugged, “we split up for a while, after we graduated – Kairi got accepted into, uh…what was it called again -?”

“ _Wow_ , it hasn’t been _that_ long. Riku!! It was the Wonderland Ballet Theater, remember? And you – you were over at –”

“Enchanted Ballet.” Riku nodded solemnly, “yeah, that was something. The choreographer was nice but the instructor…she was something else. _Really_ intimidating.”

“But anyway,” Kairi waved her hand, continuing the conversation, “that was right after we graduated – we stuck with those theaters for a couple years, and then I got an offer from Radiant Garden. I didn’t even know Riku was going to be there!!”

“That’s so lucky,” Sora hummed, smiling in thanks as their food arrived. “And you’ve been here since. That’s great!”

It fell silent as they tucked into their food for a moment, and then Riku piped up again, “have you visited home, lately? How’s everyone been?”

His fork lowered a little at the question, and Sora’s brows wrinkled a little. “…You haven’t been able to -?”

Riku’s eyes drifted away at the question as it trailed into nothing, and Kairi poked at her food with a frown. “…Ballet is a very demanding thing,” Riku finally said, “and it only feels like it’s gotten more demanding the older we got.”

“We haven’t been able to visit home for a while.” Kairi poked at her food again, “we still call and stuff, but – it’s not the same.”

Sora took in their downcast expressions with a thoughtful frown, foregoing his food to rest his elbow on the table, cupping his chin in his hand as he considered them. “I got to visit for Christmas,” he finally said, and they found it in them to look him in the eye as he spoke. “I mostly stuck with my family, especially since Nalani was a little clingy, but – I got to see your moms for a little bit, Riku. They’re doing well. And Kairi, I saw your dad during the Midwinter bonfire, and we got to talk for a little bit. They miss you, obviously, but –”

He shrugged, grinning lightly, “it’s like you told me forever ago, right? Don’t worry so much about it. I’m sure your parents aren’t going to disown you for being busy.”

Focusing back on his food, Sora worked to lighten the mood a little, “sooooo? Tell me how it’s been!! You’re hot-shot ballet stars now, right? Living the dream!! You’ve got years of details to tell me, so you better start talking.”

Kairi brightened up at the question, and Riku softened a little around the edges, relaxing into his seat as Kairi leaned forward. “Sora,” she said quietly, “it’s been _amazing_. Like everything I ever dreamed it would be.”

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Riku agreed, “all the shows we’ve done so far –”

“The _shows!!!_ ” Kairi slapped a hand against Riku’s arm, “oh my god, those have been so fun!! Remember that one we did, with the lift??”

“There’s a lot of those, Kairi, you’ve gotta be specific.”

“It’s probably on the internet somewhere,” Sora mused, “it must be really impressive.”

“Oh, it _was_.” Kairi wiggled her eyebrows, “Riku’s so strong, now – you’ll be _very_ impressed!!”

“Kairi, _stop_.”

“If I don’t sing your praises and brag about you, who will? _You??_ That’ll be the day.”

“Can’t you lay it on Sora, instead?? His stuff has gotten into magazines!! _He’s_ the hot stuff, now!”

Sora’s heart skipped a little in his chest. “You – you guys knew about all that?”

“Of course?” Riku raised an eyebrow at the question, “just because we lost contact with each other doesn’t mean we lost track of what you do, you know? We tried to keep up.”

He felt touched, but he also kinda felt like shit, and Sora buried his face in his hands with a groan. “Now I feel so _bad_ ….I’ve gotta play catch up and see what you two have been doing.”

Kairi laughed, and the conversation overall felt…different, but not so much that it was _bad_. He felt a little out of the loop, sometimes, like he was missing a joke that wasn’t meant for him - but it wasn’t awkward. It was…good.

The anxiety sitting in his chest loosened a little, and Sora placed his fork in his empty plate and rose to his feet. “I’ve got to go to the restroom really quick.” He explained, making his excuses. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

In the restroom, he washed his hands and splashed his face with cold water, staring at his reflection and taking in his bright eyes as he considered everything.

He was happy, he finally decided; his friends were back in his life after so long, and even though they were a little different, they still got along just fine. That was good – he was fine with that. He looked forward to getting to know them again.

Sora grinned at his reflection, and after a short nod, he left the restroom to return to his table.

When he made it to the end of the hall and saw them again, waiting at their table, his smile spread a little more, and he almost called out to them – almost. But something made him pause. Slow down a little in the hall, so they wouldn’t see him.

He stared as Riku and Kairi talked quietly to themselves, a small smile spreading across Riku’s face as Kairi placed a hand over his, thumb dancing across his knuckles. Kairi said something that made him laugh quietly, and after Kairi gave him a cheeky smile, she tilted her chin up, and Riku leaned down to press a soft kiss against her mouth.

It was almost like getting dunked in ice water – a cold shock to his system, as he stared at a moment that he felt like he was somewhat intruding on. _That explains a little bit,_ he thought faintly – remembering that feeling of being somewhat out of the loop.

He would examine this feeling later – poke and prod at the twisting in his chest and examine all its shapes. But for now, he’d shake it off – straighten up and put that bright smile back on his face. Because despite that shock, he _was_ still happy to see them again; he wasn’t going to let their apparent relationship upgrade put a damper on it.

So once they parted, staring at each other with soft smiles, Sora took another second to fully compose himself before he stepped out of the shadows and returned to his seat, smile back in place.

“I’m back! You weren’t talking smack about me when I was gone, were you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there we are! chapter one! I was nervous at how long it was getting - 22 pages!! I thought it would need more, but after looking over it this morning, I felt that this was a good stopping point.
> 
> uhhh let me know what you think! I'd blab more in the end notes but I'm on a time crunch 'cause I've got a zoom meeting for class at 2 so I'm trying to get this edited and out as fast as possible!!
> 
> comments and kudos are loved, as always. I hope everyone's doing okay in these absolutely batshit crazy times. take care of yourselves! and wash your hands!
> 
> see you soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again! happy friday!
> 
> a new tag has tentatively been added. I've never done a slow burn before, but this feels like it might be one....mm, we'll see.  
> I hope everyone is still doing well!
> 
> anyway, on to the chapter!

“Wow – are you okay?”

Blinking slowly, Sora blearily looked up from the test shot he’d taken of the dance studio when two bodies sat next to him. “Hm?”

Riku and Kairi were at his side, looking at him in concern as they prepared for practice for the day.

“You look half dead,” Riku said, poking him in the forehead. “Late night?”

Sora almost cringed, but he controlled his face at the last second. Xion had asked them the same thing, when he picked her up this morning to head to the academy. And just like he did in the car, Sora smiled and gave them the same answer.

“I was up late editing some photos,” he lied smoothly. “Before I noticed, it was almost two in the morning. My friends always say I get too caught up in my work!”

Xion had given him a _look_ at that answer – because she _knows_ that he is absolute garbage at editing photos, which is why Roxas was the main editor and not him, and that he was full of shit. But that was his answer, and he was sticking to it, no matter how much he got called out on it.

The truth, though – he was _not_ up half the night, lost in his work.

The truth was that after he returned to his apartment from the catch-up dinner he had with Riku and Kairi, after they sat and talked and laughed until the diner was about to close, he became curious.

He had meant to head straight to bed, knowing that he had an early start the next day, but…Sora still felt _awful_ , about how Riku and Kairi tried to stay abreast with his work, but he didn’t even fathom trying to do the same for them.

And again, he was just – _so_ curious.

So instead of going to bed, like the responsible adult he was, he smooshed himself into the corner of his couch with his laptop resting on his knees, opening the search engine.

“Just ten minutes,” he told himself sternly as he typed in Riku’s name to start. “Ten minutes, and then I need to sleep.”

Ten minutes became thirty minutes. Thirty minutes became an hour.

Every time he told himself to shut down for the night and go to bed, he just kept scrolling; there was just so _much_ – quips and mentions from local newspapers, articles with pictures from previous shows, and though they were beautifully done, a part of him grumbled that he could do so much better.

He would’ve been able to scrape up some self-control somewhere and get some sleep if it wasn’t for him stumbling upon the Youtube playlists.

They were _very_ thorough; short bites from rehearsals, clips from shows where they were dancing as part of a group, or as a lone figure on the stage, twisting and leaping through complicated variations – principals, just like they dreamed, all those years ago. They made it to the top, just as they demanded of each other, and it made his chest ache with pride.

Sora was determinedly making his way through the compilations someone made of the various pas de deux they’ve done, while in separate troupes and together – and that’s when he saw it.

The _lift_.

It had to be the lift Kairi was talking about – _had_ to be. Though Sora wouldn’t call it a lift, no – it was more like – like a _superhuman feat_. Like laughing in defiance at the laws of nature, and physics, and _whatever_. He slumped back against the pillows of his couch, gaping as he watched the recording of Riku gliding across the stage while Kairi was balanced _on his arm._

On _pointe_.

‘Oh my God,’ he mouthed to himself, re-watching that moment three times in a row in disbelief; both of their faces were so _serene_ , and the fact that Kairi wasn’t tumbling off of Riku’s arm and that he didn’t see a single tremble from Riku no matter how hard he squinted made him break into a cold sweat.

The rest of the playlists called to him, tempting, but the clock on his oven was blaring a loud, red 2:15am – he could see it in the corner of his eye, flashing at him. Judging him. So with a heavy sigh, he slammed his laptop shut and forced himself to go to bed. He didn’t truly fall asleep until almost an hour later, tossing and turning as Riku balancing Kairi on his arm and her floating along with him like it was _nothing_ just – just _appeared_ every time he closed his eyes. Like it was _burned_ there.

But it wasn’t just that.

In all the pas de deux Riku and Kairi had together, he couldn’t ignore the chemistry they had – like…it was so easy for them to tell the story with their bodies, stories of new, blooming love and desire and everything in between because – because, well, they were living it.

He wondered where he belonged among that, now.

That feeling in his chest twisted again. Sora turned onto his other side and pulled the blankets up to his ear, determined to ignore it to get a moment of rest, even though those thoughts and feelings followed him to his dreams.

So he’s feeling kind of rotten today. But there was _no way_ he was going to admit the actual reason why.

Here, in the present, Riku and Kairi seemed to believe his excuse well enough and relaxed enough to finish putting on their dance shoes and preparing for practice. “Wow, Sora,” Kairi said teasingly as she tied her hair back into a small ponytail, “who knew you’d become such a workaholic? What happened to our friend that loved to nap on the beach all day?”

“Hey, I still nap sometimes!” He joked back, putting his camera in his lap to focus on them, “it’s just not as much as I’d like to, anymore.”

“You are good, though, right?” Riku asked, combing his fingers through his hair before tying it up into a bun. Sora opened his mouth to answer, but the words shriveled and died on his tongue as he saw the sleeveless shirt that Riku was wearing, and how it was cut…rather wide….in the arms….and he could see – all the – the muscles and _skin_ and –

He blinked, and the _lift_ appeared in his mind’s eye.

 _Riku’s so strong now. You’ll be_ very _impressed._

“Yep!” He choked out, tearing his eyes away and trying to give them a wide smile, looking to Kairi to reassure her, too, and the smile almost tumbled off his face because, wow, Kairi’s legs in those tights were – were they always that long? And they looked even longer still when she was in the middle of doing a full split.

That _lift_ drifted across his brain again, and practice hadn’t even started yet, and Sora was already prepared to lie down and call it quits for the day.

Maybe focusing on his camera was safer.

 _What is up with me?!_ Sora frantically asked himself. _Pull it together!!_

“I’m fine,” he tried again, sounding less flustered, “I’m just tired – but that’s my own fault, obviously. It’s nothing lots of coffee can’t fix.”

He brought his own travel mug, but he could already see multiple trips to the cafeteria in his future today. But wait, was the coffee here even good? Would it be strong enough? He can’t assume that just because the academy looked really fancy – if that was the case, maybe he could text Roxas, ask him to bring some coffee if he wasn’t too busy, just to be safe –

“Helloooooo. Earth to Sora!”

A poke to his cheek had him snapping back to awareness, and Kairi was crouched in front of him on the balls of her feet, concerned. “Huh – wha -?”

“You spaced out for a minute.” Kairi rocked back on her heels, perfectly balanced, “are you sure you’re gonna be alright?”

“Mmn…yeah. Positive.”

Xion quickly filled in the absence Riku and Kairi left as they went to finish stretching and talk with the other dancers, sitting next to him on the floor.

“Where’d you come from?”

“Over there. I was talking to one of the dancers – her name’s Naminè. She’s really nice.”

Xion pointed, over to where Riku and Kairi were greeting the blonde girl he saw yesterday. “Oh,” Sora hummed, absent, preparing to pull his camera to his eye to take another picture – and avoid eye contact with Xion.

But she saw right through him. “Okay, cameras down – I’m pretty sure we don’t have to photograph every single second.” She carefully plucked his camera from his hands and placed it on top of her bag next to hers.

“Xion –”

“Relax, please, you know I’d never let anything happen to your camera. Drink some coffee, you look like you’re about to fall over.”

Grumbling under his breath, Sora grabbed his takeaway cup and took a large sip, and Xion beamed at him. “You may have Riku and Kairi fooled,” she said sweetly, “but you can’t fool me. We all know you can’t edit a photo to save your life.”

He almost choked on his mouthful of coffee, sputtering in protest. “Y-you don’t know that! It’s been a while! Maybe I’ve gotten better at it!”

“Sora,” Xion sighed, “seriously, come on. What’s up with you?”

Nervous, he fiddled with the handle of his cup, unable to look her in the eye. “Nothing, I’m just tired. I was working too much last night, you know how it is –”

The look she gave him could have evaporated him on the spot, “Sora, I _know_ you. Something’s bugging you! What is it?”

“It’s just so _stupid_ ,” he moans, folding like a house of cards, “it’s really dumb but I feel so _bad_.”

“About?”

“They – they tried to keep up with me, you know? With what I was doing, I mean. And I feel like _garbage_ , ‘cause I never tried to keep up with them, so last night I –”

“Oh my god, you did an internet binge,” Xion guessed. “You did, didn’t you?”

Whining quietly under his breath, Sora shoved his face into his hands. “I didn’t _mean_ to,” he moaned, “I was just – I was just going to look for a little but, but I lost track of time, and I –”

He looked up and Xion, and his gaze was haunted. “I found – someone made _youtube playlists_ , okay, and I saw – it – I just –”

“It could not have been worth losing _that_ much sleep over.”

Sora raised his eyebrows, giving her a _look_ that just screamed ‘ _oh, really??_ ’. Yanking his phone out of his pocket, he opened the youtube app on his phone, rapidly typing down the title of the video that was burned into his brain. Starting up the video, he handed his phone over to Xion, and he _waited_.

Slowly her eyebrows crept up, higher and higher, and he nodded furiously as she looked up at him with the most incredulous look on his face.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“ _Yeah_ , how would _you_ feel stumbling on that at two in the morning?? How would _you_ feel??”

“How does that – how do they even _do_ that??”

“I don’t _know!!_ ” Sora groaned quietly, dragging a hand down his face, “it’s right there in my head every time I close my eyes, I don’t –”

He looks up to see Xion staring at him thoughtfully, then looking over to where Kairi and Riku were following Aqua’s directions for the daily warmup, then looking back to Sora. There was – there was a _look_ in her eyes, and it sent a slight chill down his back.

“What?”

“He could probably lift both of you without, like, no issue. He probably wouldn’t even struggle.”

Sora felt all the blood rush to his head at how furiously he was blushing, thinking about – about –

 _No!!_ He shook his head, _don’t think about it!!_

He couldn’t think like that, he – he doesn’t _know_ them, not anymore, not like he used to; and besides, they had something completely different going on, something entirely their own, and he…he needed –

_Don’t think about it!!_

“Oh-kay!!!”

Faster than she could respond, Sora plucked his phone out of Xion’s hand and closed the app, tucking it back into his pocket. “Enough of being silly,” he said quietly, a sharp bite in his voice, “we’re here to work, so let’s _actually_ get to work.”

Xion jerked back, startled, and her eyes narrowed slightly before her expression smoothed over. “Fine,” she said coolly, grabbing her camera and rising to her feet, “let’s get to work, then.”

She turned her back to him, walking across the room just as warmups ended, the dancers moving to the floor as practice officially began, and Sora felt guilt settle in his gut, roiling and sticky.

 _Damn_. He roughly dragged a hand through his hair, scowling at himself as he snatched up his camera and his coffee. Sora would have to apologize to her, he knew – it wasn’t right for him to snap at Xion like that. She didn’t do anything wrong.

 _It’s because I barely slept,_ he reasoned to himself – it didn’t feel entirely true. But that was probably it.

His grip tightened on his camera for a moment, before Sora nodded, resolute in his decision.

As soon as possible. He’d apologize as soon as he could.

-o-

As soon as he could turned out to be at the end of the day, because Xion was excellent at evasion and a professional at a good cold shoulder.

“We’re working, right?” She asked casually, when he’d tried to talk to her during their lunch break, and though her tone was light it was cool enough to freeze his blood, “can’t waste time on something as silly as talking.”

And, alright, he deserved that. He knew when to back off.

So he spent the remainder of the afternoon giving Xion space, taking pictures and knowing that he would probably be spending the evening deleting each one. His heart wasn’t in it, and each shot wasn’t coming out as well as he’d like.

For a moment, he wondered why he was here; not that he didn’t think he was good enough for the job just because of one off day, but…he wondered if it would be possible to come every other day, instead of every day for the next eight weeks. He’ll email Aqua tonight and ask – he should’ve thought of that option when they first reached out to each other.

Sighing, Sora zipped his equipment bag shut and hauled it over his shoulder, standing just as he saw Xion start to head to the door in the corner of his eye, her own bag slung across her shoulder.

“Xion –” he started to call out, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

He turned to see Kairi, brows creased with concern. “Everything alright?” Kairi asked, “we noticed things were kinda…weird.”

“Oh. Um, it’s fine, I’m - I was just about to go talk to Xion, before we headed out –”

“Ah. We’ll let you go, then.” Kairi smiled, and though she looked tired it was still bright. “Hey, before you go – you still have the same number, right?”

“Y-yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“Good. I’ll text you sometime, okay?” Kairi squeezed his arm gently before letting him go. “Riku changed his number, so I’ll remind him to let you know. Get some rest, Sora. You really weren’t looking well.”

“Mm! I will.” He didn’t see Xion anymore, and Sora nervously shuffled in place, trying to make his excuses. “Kairi –”

“Oh – right! I’ll let you go, then. See you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow!” With a quick wave, Sora quickly rushed out of the room and down the hall, meeting Xion halfway down the stairs to the main lobby. He called her name, reached out to grab her arm, but the sharp look she threw over her shoulder let him know what a bad idea that would be.

“Xion, I’m _sorry_.” Sora dogged at her heels and poured all the remorse he felt into his voice, “I shouldn’t have snapped at you – I was being an ass, and I’m sorry. Just because I was having an off day doesn’t mean I should have taken it out on you.”

They reached the lobby, and Xion turned on her heel to look at him – _really_ look at him, lips pressed into a thin line. “I accept your apology,” she finally said, and Sora felt the tense knot that sat between his shoulders all day finally unwind. “But _don’t_ ever snap at me again,” she said, jabbing a finger into his shoulder, “it’s not my fault you can’t handle your hot friends.”

“They - They’re not _hot_ ,” Sora mumbled in a weak protest, and Xion rolled her eyes as she led them out the door.

“Sure they aren’t. Alright – take me home, so you can go and get some sleep.”

-o-

“Okay, checking in – how’d your first week go?”

Sighing quietly under his breath, Sora said nothing for a while, and across the table he saw Xion cup her chin in hand, reaching for her mimosa as she thought on her answer.

It was Sunday, which mean it was Heart Squad Brunch day, and Sora gathered with his friends at their usual table at the Bastion Diner. He felt that strange sense of overlap again, remembering the dinner date he had with Riku and Kairi on Monday, and found his eyes drifting now and then to the table they sat at, currently unoccupied. Lost in thought, Sora didn’t say anything, and his attention was pulled back to his friends once Xion spoke up.

“I think it went well,” she said after taking a considerable sip. “I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would – I thought it would be kind of…. _boring_ , just watching them all day. But honestly, it’s really cool.”

All eyes soon turned to him, and Sora propped his elbow on the table and hid his smile in his palm, gently tapping his fork against his empty plate. “Yeah, it’s as exciting as I thought it would be.”

“Of course _you_ think so, given everything,” Xion teased, and he made a face at her in response.

“Well, don’t leave us in suspense,” Roxas drawled, his tone dry as he plucked a strawberry off his plate.

“Okay, so –” Xion clasped her hands together, and the look in her eyes screamed that she’s been waiting _all week_ to tell them this. “it’s the first day, right? So we get here, meet one of the instructors, and she gives us a tour – gorgeous building, by the way, completely stunning – and we get to where all the dancers are at and meet the choreographer. Just as we’re doing introductions, Sora steps up and it turns out that two of the dancers? Are his _best friends_ from when they were kids! Whoda thought!”

Vanitas and Ventus simultaneously rose their eyebrows, which _always_ creeped him out, and Sora had to smother the urge to hide his face in his hands as Roxas whipped his head around to stare at him, incredulous.

“Those two people that you had _three cork-boards worth_ of pictures in our dorm room?? Those two?? And you didn’t _tell me?? Me??_ ”

“Oh my God,” Xion mumbled into her glass, just as Ventus said, “three cork-boards? Wow.” in a quiet, awed voice.

Now Sora _did_ hide his face in his hands, the heat of his embarrassment burning his palms. “It slipped my mind, okay!! It wasn’t like I was expecting them to be there, it – it was really overwhelming!!”

Roxas kept up with the faux-outrage, but Sora could hear the laughter in his voice, “you couldn’t tell me in a text? We’ve been texting all week! I’m _hurt_ , Sora – all those years as your roommate, supporting you as you p –”

“Yes, okay, sorry, thank you!!” Sora cut him off shrilly, quickly reaching out to clamp a hand over Roxas’ mouth. “You can’t lick my hand,” he warned, “because then we’re going to make a scene and embarrass our friends and be banned from the diner.”

Roxas’ eyes narrowed, screaming ‘ _you wanna bet??’_ , but before he could make good on the challenge Sora put down, Vanitas said, “did you not just say _last week_ that you didn’t want to get banned due to our goddamn bickering, _children?_ ”

Sheepish, Sora pulled his hand away from Roxas’ mouth, “my bad – I’m just not super ready to _talk about that right now_.” He stressed the last part to Roxas, who made a face but said nothing, eyes pointedly telling him ‘ _we are gonna talk about this later’_. He quietly despaired, because Sora didn’t _want_ to talk about it later – he didn’t know if he wanted to talk about it at all.

“Anyway,” Ventus said lightly, moving them back on track, “it is nice that you ran into some old friends, Sora! We’re happy for you.”

“Hey, Ven – do you wanna see something cool?” Xion asked, casually tapping away on her phone before leaning into his side, showing something on her screen. “Look at this lift!!”

Sora got to see Ventus’ eyes go impossibly wide before Vanitas gruffly pulled his attention away, “this gig actually going well? You did tell us about the email you sent Aqua, about changing up the original plan of being there every day.”

“Mm, yeah – I told her I’d inform her tonight. I wanted to use the rest of the week to feel it out before I made a proper decision.”

“And?”

“And I think…” Sora grabbed his coffee and took a sip, grimacing at the cool temperature, “I think…staying on as we are now will be fine. It’s like Xion had said, you know? I thought it’d get kind of old, sitting around and watching them practice all day, but – it’s interesting.”

It's only the first week, and yet it’s already exhilarating – watching them practice, watching them try and stumble and try again, Aqua or Terra gliding with them across the floor as they counted the beats, encouraging. Slowly watching the story they wanted to tell get put together, piece by piece as they learned their parts, their movements – it was _fun_.

“I really like it,” he decided, reaching out to snatch up the mimosa Roxas also ordered to take a sip. He ignored his grumbled protest with a smile, “I’m gonna let Aqua know the schedule as-is is fine when I get home.”

Sora quietly wondered to himself if there was a way to avoid Roxas’ upcoming inquisition when he knew where he lived, just as his phone chirped at his elbow, buzzing with an incoming text.

Curious, he picked up his phone, wondering if it was a message from his parents, or a work email, and his stomach swooped when he saw the familiar number.

**_Kairi!!_ **

_> Soraaaaa_

_> Are you free this afternoon?_

He nervously tugged a lock of his hair, thinking, before sending back a response.

_> Mmm, yes? Just got a work email to send, but that’s pretty much it. _

**_Kairi!!_ **

_> When are you not doing something for work? You’re such a workaholic!!_

_> Can we hang out today? I’d like to see you when it’s not for work._

_> You’re one to talk, miss prima ballerina. But sure! Do you want to just come by for dinner? _

**_Kairi!!_ **

_> Oh my god, yes, as long as your cooking is as good as I remember._

_> Flatterer. Riku coming, too?_

**_Kairi!!_ **

_Of course! He wants to see you, too. What time do you want us to be there?_

Sora settled his new plans and lowered his phone, pleased, only to realize the entire table was staring at him. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, splotchy and itchy, and he slowly put his phone away, not looking anyone in the eye.

“Whatcha got there?” Roxas asked casually, even though he and Sora knew he saw the whole text conversation on his phone, since he was sitting next to him and _very much_ in his space.

“None of your business, that’s what,” he grumbled, snatching up Roxas’ mimosa to take another sip.

They continued to stare, and Sora rubbed a rough hand over his burning cheeks, “guys! It’s just dinner with friends!! I _promise_ I will let you know if it’s something worth sharing, okay!!”

He felt overly scrutinized, and it was making him bristle, because not even _he_ knew how to adjust to Riku and Kairi coming back into his life. He was still getting used to it!!

Ventus must have sensed his agitation, because he leaned back in his chair with a sigh, “alright, Sora – sorry to press. You’re right. Anyway, _I’m_ still hungry – we wanna order a second round? Xion, tell me more about the show the ballet’s putting on –”

Sora relaxed as the conversation was steered away from him, and he knew he would have to thank Ventus for it later. For now, he waved their server down, ready for a fresher cup of coffee and to maybe eat his feelings with a couple pastries.

He could already feel the jittery nerves about dinner, but he’ll deal with that later.

Later.

-o-

When he got home from brunch, Sora quickly sent Aqua an email to inform her of his decision before diving into the kitchen and doing some heavy stress relief through cooking.

He floundered for a minute on what to make, eventually deciding on a pasta with a light sauce and some greens. Maybe a salad, too – they’re dancers, so they have to eat healthy, right? All that stuff could be made closer to their arrival, since it would be pretty quick; for now, he lost himself in the process of making some bread to go with the pasta, wrapped up in measuring and mixing and kneading. As the dough rose for an hour, Sora quickly sent Kairi his address and moved to the living room to knock out more of his stress by straightening up the living room, where they would probably be spending most of the evening.

He checked on his laptop as he cleaned, making sure it was fully charged and ready for his weekly video call home, and an idea popped up into his head, making him pause and grin widely.

Yes, he thinks – that would be a perfect surprise.

Still grinning wildly, Sora made his way back to the kitchen to continue getting dinner together, the timer going off informing him the bread was ready for the oven.

By the time he heard a knock at his door, he was just putting the finishing touches on the pasta, humming under his breath as he mixed torn herbs into the sauce. His phone lit up with a text as well, affirming his guess of who it was, and Sora went to his front door and welcomed his guests with a smile.

 _Perfect timing_ , he thought as he grinned at Kairi and Riku, stepping aside to let them into the house. “Hi! You showed up right on time, come in – I just finished putting everything together.”

“It smells _so_ good in here,” Riku commented as Kairi inhaled deeply, sighing in content at the scents filling the space. “You didn’t go too crazy, did you?”

“What? No! It’s small, really – just, uh, some pasta? And a salad! And some bread. You two aren’t on some crazy diet, are you?”

“Even if we were, I’d definitely break it,” Kairi declared, “Sora, it all smells so good!! Thank you for having us over on such short notice! It wasn’t too much, was it?”

“Nah, piece of cake. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.”

They quickly kicked their shoes off and removed their jackets, only to follow him into the kitchen; there was a dining area off to the side, and Kairi went to sit there while Riku looked around, making a beeline to the cork-boards that were on the wall near the fridge.

“Good day?” Sora asked as he grabbed some plates, and Kairi shrugged. “Eh, good enough – it was kind of a boring day and watching television and napping just wasn’t cutting it.”

“Didn’t feel like relaxing all day? Don’t you have another week of hard work to look forward to?”

“Yeah, but just relaxing gets old!”

Sora looked up from the bread he was slicing, “this isn’t relaxing?” he asked, gesturing at Kairi curled up at his kitchen table, and Kairi was opening her mouth to respond when Riku’s voice cut in.

“You kept all these? Kairi, come here, look.”

Kairi hopped out of her seat to see what Riku was looking at, and Sora turned his head to look at him, curious. His voice was soft with – _something_ , eyes roving over all the pictures he had pinned to his cork-board.

“Ohhh, did your dad take this one? Awww, look at Sora and his little baby face,” Kairi cooed, pressing a finger on the picture she was looking at.

“I forgot just how many pictures you took before we left for college,” Riku mused, eyes fond, and Sora felt his cheeks heat a little. “Riku, of course I kept them all! And come on, guys, it wasn’t _that_ many.”

“It definitely was! I remember – almost every day at the play islands, you’d sneak up on us with that camera –”

“That’s the only way I’d be able to get good pictures, Riku!!” he protested, laughter in his voice. “If you knew I was taking a picture of you, it wouldn’t have been authentic!!”

“Hey, Sora, this one’s new – who’s that?”

He moved in to find the picture Kairi was pointing out, smiling fondly at the photo of him and Roxas at a party in their junior year, Sora smooshing their cheeks together as they grinned at the camera. “That’s Roxas,” he explained happily, “he was my roommate in college, and let me know about the job at Heart to Hearth. Xion calls him my better half, which is funny. Now come on, sit down! Let’s eat!”

In the corner of his eye he saw Riku and Kairi exchange a look, following his ushering to his table before grabbing the plates. “I’ll grab the last one,” Riku offered, scooping up the last plate just as Sora placed a plate before Kairi.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Sora scolded gently, taking a seat as Riku picked up his fork, “you’re guests.”

“Your hands were full, and you made all this food – picking up a plate is nothing. And we’re going to do the dishes, too, so don’t argue. Anyway, hey, listen – so, Kairi and I have been watching this show during our free-time, and -”

It was amazing, Sora thought to himself, how easy it was to just fall back into conversations with them. Like almost ten years hadn’t passed at all.

The conversation was occasionally interrupted with praises over his cooking, which _embarrassed_ him, _obviously_ , and he knew they were doing it on purpose – but he didn’t mind all that much.

Just as Kairi and Riku moved to his sink, dirty dishes in hand as Kairi instructed Riku to wash while she dried, Sora heard the distant chime of his phone, reminding him that it was nearing the time he squared off to call home.

“Do you need to answer that?” Kairi asked over her shoulder, and Sora shook his head. “No, it’s just a reminder I set on my phone – I video call home on Sundays.”

“Oh! Well –” Suddenly unsure, Kairi stepped back from the sink, wringing the dishtowel she was using in her hands, “should we….go? I don’t want us to intrude –”

“Yeah, Sora, we can go, if you need us to –”

“Hold on, hold on! Go? You guys don’t have to go!! You –” His idea from earlier drifted through his head, and he pushed himself to his feet. “Stay here,” he instructed them, “don’t come out until I tell you, okay?”

“Sora –”

“Okay?”

He gestured for them to stay, his smile screaming ‘ _trust me!!’_ before he went to his living room to set up his laptop to call home. Soon, the air was filled with chimes, letting him know the call was connecting, and then his mother’s face filled the screen.

“Sora!” She beamed at him, “how are you, sweetheart? Aouli, Nalani, come here so we can talk to Sora!”

He heard the faintest ‘coming!’ from his father, quickly overpowered by his sister yelling his name. “Oh, here she comes –” his mother was saying, just as Nalani slid into his vision, grinning.

“Sora!!!” She cried out, the speakers of his laptop vibrating with the force of her voice, “hi!!!”

“Hey, Na-Na. How’s my girl?”

“I’m good! Daddy, Sora’s here!”

“You're right, he is! Wow, look at him,” his father said, sitting next to his mother with a laugh. “How are you, Sora? How’s work?”

“Work’s fine, dad – before we get into it, though! I have some company!”

His mother’s eyebrows lifted, “company? Sora, if you’re busy, we don’t want to intrude –”

“You’re not! Hold on, I’ll be right back, okay?”

Hopping off the couch, Sora practically skipped back to the kitchen to see Riku nervously hovering in the entryway, Kairi still standing by the sink. “Come on,” he whispered with a cheeky smile, “my parents are gonna lose it.”

He held out his hands, encouraging, and his smile softened when they finally got close and slipped a hand into his. Tugging them into the living room, he led them around the laptop, making sure his family didn’t see them until they sat on the couch, hands still clutching onto his.

His mother gasped, and he grinned widely, “look who I found this week!”

Sora gently knocked his head against Kairi’s, giving Riku’s hand a squeeze, and the two of them nervously waved at the computer. “Hi, Auntie Jun!” Kairi said, just as Riku shyly greeted, “long time no see, Uncle Aouli.”

“Riku!! Kairi!!” His father’s grin could rival the sun with how bright it was, “well, aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes!! Look at your hair, Riku, wow!!”

“It’s so good to see you!!” His mother cried out, “my god, look at how you’ve two grown. Nalani, sweetheart, do you remember Sora’s friends?”

Nalani had curled into her father’s side at Riku and Kairi’s appearance and peeked out to look at them with one shy brown eye. “No…” she mumbled, and Sora’s heart melted a little bit at her face.

“It’s okay, if you don’t remember us,” Riku reassured her, “you were just a baby, the last time we visited – but we remember you! I remember the day you were born and everything.”

“Oh, me too!” Kairi said, leaning closer to the computer as though she was about to tell a secret, “Nalani, the day you were born, Sora cried to us for _hours_ , he was so happy.”

“Really?” She turned to face them a little more, eyes wide, and Riku nodded. “Really. We got every picture his mom would send him and every little update about you. Sora loves you a lot, but you already knew that, huh?”

Nalani giggled, and though she was still leaning into her father, she was looking directly at them, now, and Sora smiled at her in encouragement.

“I’m so happy to see you two again – I thought Sora lost track of you two when you went off to school! I’m sure that whatever story you have for this is going to be good,” his mother said, settling into the couch. “How on earth did this even happen? Sora never told me you two were in Radiant Garden!”

The three of them looked at each other, biting back the laughter that wanted to bubble over their lips, and Sora turned back to his parents with an embarrassed laugh.

“Okay, so, it’s kind of a funny story…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and there we go! this chapter was a little shorter, but I feel good about it!
> 
> I have.....no idea when my next update will be lmao. I had to add on another summer class so instead of having a three week long break until my class, I'll be going back to school in ten days :'). at least the class is only three weeks long. I'll be writing this when I can, though!
> 
> comments and kudos are loved and appreciated, as usual. I'm glad some people are liking this! hopefully you'll see this with me to the end lmao.
> 
> until next time! I'm spacebeyonce on tumblr and mrsallmight on twitter if y'all wanna keep track of me and see me complain about school.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so. some stuff happened, since the last time we were here.
> 
> I know I said I wasn't gonna update in a while 'cause of a summer class, but I had a realization. and the realization was that going back to school after only two weeks of a break was depressing me so much I didn't want to do anything.
> 
> so I dropped the class. and now here we are! literally my spirits lifted as soon as I did it, it was incredible.
> 
> but moving on! next chapter, let's get into it!

“Kairi, can I ask you a question?”

“You just did,” she pointed out, and Sora rolled his eyes. “Kairi, I’m serious.”

“Okay, shoot,” she said, leaning back on her hands. They were halfway through another day of practice, and all the women in the troupe were sitting against the mirrored walls, watching as the men worked their way through their set for the show. All week, they’d been working on the first part of the ballet – the setting of the stage, introducing the players in this story and building up the feeling of aimless purpose, of trying to find a place and yearning for – something. Some unnamed thing, that felt out of reach.

The women had practiced their set beforehand, and Kairi was sitting next to him catching her breath, strands of hair sticking to her temples. Constantly, his eyes drifted to Riku as they practiced, watching as the rope of his braided hair swayed and bounced with the motions, swinging over his shoulder as he twirled on one foot.

“It’s kind of a personal question,” he warned her, and Kairi gave him a hard side-eye in return.

“Have we not spent the last three weeks getting personal?” Sora sputtered at her word choice, and she laughed brightly at getting a rise out of him, eyes back on her peers. “Go ahead and ask, Sora.”

Well...she _said_ it was fine…

“So, how long have you and Riku been…together?”

Kairi jolted as though she’d been shocked and jerked her head to look at him with wide eyes. She looked like a kid that had been caught doing something she shouldn’t, and Sora had to bite his lips to hold back laughter.

“How –” she stuttered, a rosy blush spreading to the tips of her ears and down her neck, and Sora absently wondered how far that blush went. “how did you – how did you _know??_ ”

She looked so embarrassed that Sora couldn’t help but give into his amusement, laughing quietly into his hand. “Kairi, have you forgotten who I am?? You know how folk at home said I’m the more ‘emotionally attuned’ one. I’m _great_ at noticing feelings stuff, of course I was gonna figure it out eventually.”

The kiss he caught them sharing at the diner the day they reunited help cement those inklings, but he decided not to tease her about it – she looked embarrassed enough.

In front of him, the dancers turned as one, and Sora raised his camera to quickly capture the motions, the hypnotic wave of bodies moving as a unit.

Next to him, Kairi pouted, “I can’t _believe_ you noticed – we were trying to find the right moment to tell you!” Sighing, she slumped over and leaned into his side, “but since you _asked_ …we’ve been dating since, mmm…our junior year, I think.”

Oh – longer than he expected. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Wow – that’s a long time! How did it happen?”

Her voice was halting as she spoke, hesitant; he wondered if she was telling the whole story. “Oh, you know…with Riku back then, talking feelings was like pulling teeth sometimes, do you remember? And I’d liked him for – for a while, I think, and I was sure he liked me, too, but he was – very hesitant. One day, I’d just gotten fed up, I guess, so I dragged him out for coffee so we could talk about it.”

Kairi scratched her cheek, sheepish, “it…might have ended with kissing. Riku told me how his roommate gave him a lot of shit about it, after.”

Sora huffed with laughter and raised his camera to take another picture, not hindered by Kairi leaning into his side. He was used to it, from when they were young.

“…Was it hard?” He asked after a moment of silence, “being apart? I remember you told me, you got accepted into different ballet groups…”

She hummed softly as she thought about her answer, the two of them watching as Terra gestured to Aqua to stop the music, instructing the men through the dance and what he expected of them as they watched, memorizing the motions.

“It was hard,” Kairi softly admitted. “We knew our getting together was…pretty bad timing. But we were determined to make it work. I’m pretty sure Riku didn’t tell me that he was coming to Radiant Garden was because he wanted to surprise me.”

“Wow,” Sora cooed, “how _romantic_. I never knew Riku had it in him!”

“Don’t make fun!” Kairi gently elbowed him, laughing, “it was really sweet! Come on, Riku’s gonna know we’re talking about him, he always knows!”

They settled down, focusing back on the dance in front of them, and Kairi sighed, trailing off into a quiet, wistful laugh.

“Do you remember,” she asked in a whisper, “all the gossip, back then? Back home?”

Sora paused at her words, lowering his camera back to his lap. He hummed, deep in his chest, staring at Terra as he clapped along with the beats, helping his dancers stay on rhythm.

“Yeah.” He said, “I remember.”

Of course he remembered. How could he not?

Destiny Islands was always full of gossips – _especially_ in the markets – so it wasn’t hard to sneak around and hear someone talking about how their kid was flunking school, or about an affair between the baker and one of the fisherman’s wives. It was fun, like they were in on some big, grown up secret –

Until some of the gossip started to be about them.

He’d first heard the whispers when he was eleven, running through the markets with Riku and Kairi as they made their way to the rowboats, planning to spend a free day at the play islands.

“Those three…”

“Thick as thieves right now, but once they get older –”

“Yes, puberty always changes things, and Kairi’s a lovely girl –”

Sora didn’t pay it any mind, at first – it was just gossip, and the gossip of Destiny Islands changes just as quickly as the tides. But the years passed, and they grew up…and the gossip didn’t stop. If anything, it _increased_.

Eventually he had to stop paying attention to it – the constant chatter of how everything would change, once they grew up. That they would get competitive, want Kairi’s attention for themselves, and that one day she would have to choose.

It was ridiculous, he’d thought back then, impossible; why would they fight like that, when the three of them were happiest together?

In the wake of all these years apart, it was a little funny now, that they proved the gossips right – that Kairi ended up making a choice, after all.

Fiddling with the strap of his camera, Sora sighed, quiet. When he looked back up, his smile was back in place, “are we still on for hanging out after work this Friday?”

Kairi leaned back a little to look up at him, the wrinkle in her brow letting him know she was a little thrown at his abrupt change in conversation. “….Yeah. Movie night, right?”

“Mm. And you’re sure you don’t want to come to the spring festival with Riku and I on Saturday?”

“I promised Naminè I’d go with her – I may see you there, if we’re lucky. That event is always so crowded, it’s why I rarely go.” Kairi leaned back into his side as they talked over their weekend plans, and Sora wished for a moment that he could get a glimpse into her head and know what she was thinking.

“Ah, maybe we’ll be lucky and bump into each other.” He raised his camera to his eye with a smile, “I mean, we found each other again here, didn’t we? We’ll probably end the day spending the festival together.”

Kairi laughed a little, wrapping her arm around his and giving it a squeeze. “Maybe you’re right – we’ll see.”

Eventually, Terra called for a break, gesturing one of the male dancers over to speak with him, and Riku quickly made a beeline towards them. His cheeks were flushed, loose strands of his hair sticking to his neck, and he sat at Sora’s opposite side with a heavy sigh, giving Kairi a grateful smile as she reached around Sora to hand him a bottle of water.

“That was rough,” Riku said after draining half the bottle, “my feet are already killing me.”

“Oh, poor _baby_ ,” Kairi simpered, doing a few stretches to warm up, “and the day isn’t even over yet. Also, hey – guess what.”

She waited until Riku was looking at her, eyebrow raised, before saying solemnly, “we don’t have to tell Sora we’re dating anymore.”

Riku’s face went through a multitude of emotions – shock, fear, nausea – before settling on outrage, staring Sora down with wide eyes. “We’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you for _days!!_ And you just _knew??_ How do you just -??”

“He’s _Sora_ , Riku. You know how he is – he’s so into _feelings_ , that’s why he balanced you out when we were kids. Since you had an emotional range the size of my pinky.”

Riku gave her the stink eye, and she made a face right back, making him roll his eyes and turn his focus to Sora. “Whatever. Now with Sora stealing our thunder out of the way -well? What do you think of it so far?”

“Think of – oh, of the dance? Hmm. Well…”

Drawing it out, Sora thought back on what he just saw, the grace and fluidity and how they already project the feelings of the story so clearly.

He finally smiled, a soft, slow thing, “it was beautiful. You’re all telling the story so well already.”

Riku blinked rapidly, looking a little stunned, and Sora’s smile became a little less soft and something bolder as he looked at him from beneath his lashes. “And _you_ know that already, don’t you? You and Kairi both, still hungry for flattery, just like always. At least you haven’t changed _there._ ”

A faint blush dusted Riku’s cheeks as his eyes slid away, caught, the color in his face increasing as he saw whatever face Kairi was making over Sora’s shoulder and scowled. “Well – can you blame us, Sora?” he grumbled, tucking stray hairs behind his ears, “we haven’t gotten Sora-level compliments in years – we’re a little parched.”

“ _I’ll_ say,” Kairi mumbled under her breath, and somehow that made Riku blush _more_.

“Anyway –” he coughed, hastily changing the subject, “so, about movie night. Have we decided on what movies we wanted to watch, because I’m kind of in a scary mood –”

-o-

It turns out that trying to plan for a movie night doesn’t mean anything after a long day of hard work.

Sora learned this the hard way, blearily waking up to the glaring blue light of his television feeling overly warm. He groaned softly, trying to shift into something more comfortable, but a weight on his chest left him unable to move.

_What the hell…_

Slowly blinking up at his ceiling, Sora tried to gather his bearings and remember what happened. It was late now, obviously – crazy late, he bets – and before…right, right, it was movie night. Movie night with Riku and Kairi. He remembers, now.

They loaded the table up with snack foods and had an impressive stack of scary movies, determined to try and get through as many as they could. They were able to make it through two, with Sora and Kairi flinching back and crying out at every little jump scare, Riku meanly laughing at their plight but letting them cling to him all the same. He couldn’t remember most of the third movie, or if they even got to a fourth, so he must have fallen asleep sometime around then.

He was so warm, and he wondered if Riku or Kairi put a blanket over him before they left – it feels like something they’d do. They probably cleaned up the mess from all the snacks they had, too. At least he hoped they did – that would be _so_ nice, to not have to clean up in the morning.

 _Get up,_ he urged himself, still trying to fully wake up, _go get in bed so you don’t wake up with a crick in your neck._

It was _really_ hard to move, though; his blanket was so warm, the pillows unbearably comfortable, and Sora felt his eyes sliding closed. Just a few more minutes, he figured, and then he’ll get up and go to his room. That was the plan.

And then his pillow sighed.

Sora went from drowsy to _very awake_ in an instant, eyes snapping open, and he stiffened up so fast he almost didn’t want to breathe.

_No way –_

Slowly, slowly, he craned his head, wanting to see, and was met with Riku’s face outlined in the light of the television, peaceful and lax in sleep. He moved again, lowering his head, and stared in disbelief at the top of Kairi’s head, her face buried in the crook of his neck. She was draped over him, sprawled across his chest, and as she hummed in her sleep, a warm puff of air drifting across his skin, Sora felt – _overwhelmed._

Something was swelling in his chest, and the emotion that was pressing down on him brought the sting of tears to his eyes.

It felt just like it did back then, when they were young; rotating movie nights at each other’s houses, loading up the living room with pillows and blankets and snacks. Having the determination to make it through every single movie they picked, but always ending up asleep halfway through, using each other as a pillow.

Wrapped up in the warmth of his friends, Sora slowly relaxed, almost dipping back into the drowsy contentment he was in a moment ago. But – he _really_ didn’t want to wake up with a crick in his neck.

“Riku,” he mumbled, “Kairi. Wake up, c’mon.”

Gently, he jostled them awake, poking and shoving until they came awake with a groan. “Time ‘sit?” Kairi asked, rubbing at an eye, “oh, did we fall asleep?”

“Yeah. I think it’s pretty late. I’m not gonna kick you guys out, but I didn’t want you guys to mess up your necks or anything.”

Riku stretched his arms overhead with a loud yawn, “you don’t mind? I don’t want to impose or anything –”

“Don’t be stupid, Riku. My door’s always open, okay? You can stay whenever you like. It’s just like when we were kids – I just don’t have an open window for you to crawl into all the time.”

He gave Sora a smile that was sleepy and fond, “thanks. Do you have a guest room?”

Ah.

The dreamy nostalgia that covered him quickly slipped away, leaving him cold, and Sora scratched at the back of his neck, eyes sliding away. “Ah…no, just the one bedroom. But, uh – I can let you two have it for the night!”

Sora got so caught up in how much the three of them together just felt like how it did _before_ that he forgot it wouldn’t end the same way. He was such a _moron_.

He smiled at them, reassuring, “the couch is good enough for me, so – I can show you where the room is, and I can grab some more blankets and –”

“Sora.”

Kairi’s hand on his arm stopped his rambling before it got a chance to start, and he turned to look into her soft, sleepy eyes, reflecting the light of the television. Once she got his attention, she smiled, “let’s go get some sleep. Alright?”

“…Okay,” he said, hoarse – that was really all he could say.

Quiet, they slid off the couch and cleaned up, folding blankets and pillows and putting uneaten snacks away in the kitchen. Once the area was as clean as they could get it, Sora turned on the hallway light before turning off the television, unable to look them in the eye as he shyly led them down the hall to his room.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” He asked again as he turned on a lamp near his bed, “I really can sleep on the couch, it’s not a big deal – I’ve done it before, it’s comfortable enough, you know –”

“ _Sora_ ,” Riku groaned, exasperated, “it’s _fine_. If anything, we should be asking _you_ that since, you know, it’s _your bed_.”

“Yeah, but you’re _guests_!” Sora protested, barely noticing the gentle shoves at his back, “it’s the polite thing to do!! My mom would come over here just to tell me off if I let you two sleep on the couch -!”

“Your bed’s big enough, Sora, so come _on_.” With one last shove, Sora toppled over onto his bed, and he would endlessly deny the flustered squeak he let out as he bounced on the mattress. “Okay, okay! Jeez, _pushy_.” He grumbled, rolling onto his back and shimmying up to the pillows.

Sliding beneath the blankets, Sora tried not to let his nerves show as Riku and Kairi slipped into bed with him, bracketing him on either side. They were so _close_ – closer than he expected. He wasn’t sure what to do.

“Are – are you comfortable enough?” He asked anxiously, plucking at his sheets with nervous fingers.

“Mmhm,” Kairi hummed behind him, and Sora almost jumped out of his skin at the feeling of Kairi pressing up against his back, throwing an arm around his chest.

“O-oh! Alright, good! Uh…Riku, could you get the lamp-?”

“I’ve got it.”

Darkness surrounded them with a soft ‘click’, and the lack of sight only seemed to make the rest of Sora’s senses go completely haywire. The rustle of blankets as Riku situated himself sounded ridiculously loud, and – and was he imagining it, or did Riku get closer? It felt like he did. It felt warmer, or – or maybe it was just the blankets. Kairi was a line of heat pressed against his spine, her slow, sleepy breathing brushing against the shell of his ear making his hair stand on end.

His heart was pounding, and he wondered if it was loud enough that they could hear it, or feel it; it certainly felt possible, with the way it was pounding away in his ears. Riku throwing an arm over his waist didn’t really _help_ his current heart problems – only added to it. “Is this okay?” he asked, pulling him a little closer – which in turn made Kairi scoot in closer, sandwiching him in. “My arm was starting to fall asleep, sorry.”

“It – it’s alright! It’s fine!”

He needed to calm down – he was so _tired_ , and wanted to sleep, but he – but they were so _close,_ and – and they haven’t been this close in years. He didn’t know what to do – was this fine? Like it was before? Were they doing this on purpose? Was he making it weird? He felt like he was making it weird, pressed so close between them. He really should –

“Sora.” Riku’s fingers ran through his hair, pushing his bangs out of his face, “you’re getting stuck up there again. I can practically hear you.”

His fingers lightly tapped against his forehead, and Sora cringed, “I’m sorry. I know we need to wake up early, too, I –”

“It’s okay. You still get stuck in your head, sometimes. I haven’t forgotten.”

Somehow, that made a lump rise in his throat, and Sora didn’t know what to say. Hesitantly, he leaned forward a little – just a little – until his temple rested against Riku’s collarbone.

It was so warm, here, pressed close between his two closest friends, and bit by bit, Sora found himself relaxing, breaths slowly evening out as he crept closer to sleep.

“Hey,” Kairi’s voice piped up, sluggish but amused, “I just realized something – it’s been a while since we’ve had to do a walk of shame, huh Riku?”

That woke Sora back up, and he felt itchy heat spread across his cheeks and down his neck as he sputtered over Riku’s laughter.

“I dunno, Kairi – I’m not feeling _too_ ashamed about this one.”

“ _Guys!!_ ” Sora cried out, ducking his head further into Riku’s shoulder, “stop _saying_ stuff like that! Go to sleep!!”

Their snickering eventually quieted down and tapered off into the deep, even breaths of sleep, but Sora was having a hard time drifting off with them. He – he was feeling – _complicated._

He didn’t realize how much he had missed this until it was back in all of its overwhelming glory. Now that he had it back – had _them_ back – he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it all. With their attention, with their affection, with their time.

Slowly, Sora moved and rested his hand against Riku’s side, curling his fingers in the soft fabric of the t-shirt he wore. At his back, Kairi unconsciously tightened her arms around him in sleep, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. It was warm, between them, but not uncomfortably so.

He took a minute, burrowing a little deeper beneath his blankets and sorting through it all.

Yes, he finally settled, relaxing enough to finally close his heavy eyes; yes, he was happy – _so_ happy. The more he saw them, the more that near decade long ache was smoothed away; and after the show was over, he’d get to _keep_ seeing them, whenever he wanted. This didn’t have to end.

Sora was so lucky.

-o-

“And they _spent the night??_ ”

Sora cringed a little, eyes darting around to make sure that no one was looking over at them. “Roxas, not so loud,” he begged, “ _yes_ , they stayed over. It was fine! We did that a lot when we were kids!”

Across the table, Roxas crossed his arms and leaned back, the sun cutting through the tree branches overhead and shining across his face.

This wasn’t how he expected his day at the spring festival would go – but, Sora supposes, he should’ve known better when he sent Roxas a flurry of texts in a panic minutes after Riku and Kairi departed that morning. When he didn’t get a response, Sora started to make breakfast, suspicion tugging at his gut, and sure enough, after half an hour there was a knock at his door.

“You could’ve just called,” he grumbled, opening the door to let Roxas in, “or, you know – _texted me back._ ”

“You knew I was coming over,” Roxas said, breezing his way inside, “is that breakfast I’m smelling? Did you make me food?”

“Who said I made it for you?” Sora asked, just to be difficult, “maybe I made it for me. Maybe it’s _my_ breakfast and you barged in on my morning.”

Roxas turned to look at him after throwing his jacket on the couch and pouted, a hand over his heart. “ _Sora,_ ” he whined, hurt, “I can’t believe you’re not going to feed me. Me!! The person who rushed over here for you – your nearest and dearest! Your better half! Your –”

“Oh my god, fine! Fine! Go eat your damn breakfast!” Sora threw his hands up, flinging himself in a chair at his table as Roxas slid in front of the plate Sora made for him, faux hurt gone.

“So, what were all the freak out texts about?” Roxas asked, eagerly tucking into his food, and Sora sighed loudly.

“I – it’s, um…”

“Before you try and say it’s stupid – it’s definitely not stupid. If it’s worrying you that much, then talk about it.”

For a moment, Sora said nothing, dragging a nail against the wood of the table, and Roxas continued to eat, not worried at his silence – he could wait him out.

“I’m going to the spring festival today with Riku,” he finally admitted, and Roxas paused, setting his fork down and raising an eyebrow.

“What, like a date?”

Sora jerked back at that, eyes wide, “no!!” He denied loudly, “ _not_ like a date! Just as friends, that’s all.”

“Doesn’t sound like it’s not a date if it’s stressing you out so much.”

“Roxas –” Sora’s expression turned pained, “it’s not! It’s not a date, since Riku – Riku and Kairi are, well –”

“Oh. _Oh._ ”

“Yeah.”

It went quiet, and Sora shifted nervously in his chair. “Are we ever gonna talk about it?” Roxas asked, and Sora shook his head. “Is talking about it really necessary?”

“I think it is.”

“Roxas, it’s been years. Honestly, it’s –” Sora let out a frustrated breath, running rough hands through his hair, “I never really thought I’d get to see them again? So just, just having them back and getting to see them again is, mmm…it’s overwhelming?”

Sora peeked up from the table to look at Roxas, and he was just staring at him, brown eyes serious and understanding. “So that’s why you’re stressing out,” he guessed, and Sora nodded in agreement.

“Well,” Roxas said after another moment of silence, “I’ll go to the festival with you.”

Sora, who was starting to slouch into the table, jolted upright, eyes almost popping out of his head. “You’ll – wha – huh??”

“I can run interference or whatever,” he explained, “because the thought of hanging out with just Riku for the day is making you look like you’re about to pass out literally at any moment. Unless it’s something else?”

“….Well –”

“Oh, now I’m _definitely_ coming with you –”

“But –”

“ _And!_ ” Roxas continued, holding up a finger, “I wanna meet this guy. And this Kairi girl too, if she’s there. I’ve gotta see if they’re up to snuff and still good friends or whatever.”

Sora wanted to try and put up a little more of a protest, but honestly? The thought of having Roxas there with him relaxed the knot of tension that’s been sitting in his chest since he woke up with Riku and Kairi wrapped around him that morning.

“Are you sure?” He had to ask, “I’m not – interrupting your day or anything, am I? Or –”

“Sora, please, if I had work today, I would’ve never come over. You know I don’t like to do anything before a shift.”

And that was that. Roxas finished eating while Sora quickly showered and prepared for the day, finishing up just as he received a text from Riku, informing him that he was waiting outside.

“Riku’s here,” he called out, scooping up his wallet and his keys, “good to go?”

“I’m good.” Roxas was waiting by the door, hands in the pockets of his jacket, “this is all happening by the river, yeah?”

“That’s where all the flowers are blooming, yes. Am I driving?”

“What? No, _I’ll_ drive –”

And that’s how Riku saw them, Roxas holding the door to the apartment complex open for Sora as they continued to bicker about who would be driving to the festival. Sora brightened up once he saw him waiting nearby, cutting off his argument with Roxas to jog over to him with a smile. “Riku! You look really nice!”

He really did, even though it was just jeans and a nice blue jacket, but Sora has seen him in nothing but sweatpants and exercise clothing for the last three weeks. So, this was different.

“Hey, Sora.” Riku smiled, but it looked a little tight around the eyes, and Sora frowned at that, concerned. “You gonna introduce me?”

“Oh - yeah! Of course! Riku, this is Roxas. We were roommates in college! Roxas, this is Riku. He’s one of my best friends from home, but you already knew that.”

“Sora’s better half, good to meet you,” Roxas said, extending a hand for a handshake, and Sora roughly elbowed him in the side. “Oof, Sora, come on!”

“That’s what you get. Anyway – ready to go? I’m driving!”

“Ah, wait, you don’t have to, I can drive –”

“Sora, I already said _I_ was going to drive –”

But Sora got his way in the end, and now here they were, two hours into the festival and waiting for Riku as he stepped away to buy something to drink. And while Riku was away, Sora was using this window to tell Roxas the real reason he was so stressed out.

It was a beautiful day, with perfectly warm spring weather and not a cloud in the sky, the trees that flanked the large river bursting with fragrant pink blooms. The sun shined brightly overhead, cutting through the canopy of flowers, and Sora could see the flecks of gold highlighted in Roxas’ eyes. He squinted at Sora, suspicious, “well if it’s just like when you were kids, why are you so bothered over it?”

“That’s the _thing!!_ ” Sora burst out, and he furtively looked over to make sure Riku didn’t hear his outburst, “I’m not entirely sure! I, hmm – I know I’m happy to have them around again. I feel lucky, you know? Like, even after this job is over, they’ll still be around. Being able to see them again, and talk with them is, it’s really great.”

“But…” Roxas encouraged, folding his arms across the table and leaning closer to him.

“But,” Sora continued, “it feels the same, yet – not. I’m still figuring it out. What Riku and Kairi have…it’s different. And I’m still learning my new place in it all, I guess. Where I’m supposed to fit now, and I – I don’t want to overstep.”

The only noise between them was the distant chatter of people around them and the tap of Roxas’ nails against the metal table. His expression was unreadable, and the longer his silence went, the more nervous Sora became. “Are you gonna say something or what?” he demanded, “you’re freaking me out.”

“I need more information before I say something. So, until then –”

Roxas extended his hand, and Sora took it without hesitation, taking strength in the way he squeezed his fingers. “We’re going to enjoy the festival,” he stated, “and visit all the stands, and spend more money than we should. We’ll enjoy the flowers and have a good time. Okay?”

Laid out like that, it all felt so simple, and Sora’s lips curled up in a smile. “Okay.”

“And I will mess with your friend a little bit.”

 _That_ made Sora laugh, the noise bursting from him before he thought about it. “Roxas, please, don’t be too mean to him,” he begged, and his friend shrugged, unrepentant.

“You guys ready to keep going?”

Sora jumped a little at the voice, before turning to look up at Riku, who had appeared behind them without him noticing. His expression was placid, easygoing, but there was still that tightness around his eyes that made Sora want to frown.

Instead, he smiled. “Yeah! We’re all set!”

He hopped to his feet, pulling Roxas up by their still connected hands, “I saw a couple of stands that I want to look at; I want to see if they have anything worth sending home. Riku, you should look too, for your moms! And after this, where do we want to grab lunch -?”

It was easy to point out the stands and lead the way, especially since Roxas was nice enough to lay out the goals for the day so easily. Enjoy the festival. Spend way too much money. Take in the flowers.

He added one more for himself, privately, to make sure to keep that constipated look off Riku’s face.

Easy enough.

-o-

“Well, I guess you were right – we ended up running into each other, after all.”

The hand on his arm and voice near his ear almost made Sora drop the glass figure he was examining, and he looked down into Kairi’s amused eyes. “Kairi –” he started to scold, but his words dried up once he looked at her. _Really_ looked at her.

Just like Riku, it wasn’t anything extravagant – just a simple dress in a fetching shade of lavender – but since he only saw her in exercise clothes, this was….it was _different_.

It took him a second, but he finally found his voice again, “you startled me! I almost dropped this, that would’ve sucked.” He made sure to return the figure to its place before turning and giving her his full attention. “I’m glad we got to run into you! Where’s Naminè?”

“Oh, she’s at another stand with Xion over there.” She waved her hand in the general direction, “I was over there, too, but I saw you and knew I needed to come by – you’re hard to miss, with a shirt like that.”

She plucked at the red shirt he was wearing with a grin, and Sora rolled his eyes, frowning a little. “It’s a nice shirt and you know it. Anyway – Xion is with you? She didn’t tell me she was coming.”

“I figured a girl’s day out would be good for her – and Xion’s really nice! We talk at work, sometimes, when I’m not pestering you. And this must be confidential on threat of death, but –”

Kairi leaned in to whisper in his ear, mischievous, “I’ve got it on good authority that Naminè would _very_ much like to get to know Xion a little more. If you know what I mean.”

“Oh – oh!!”

Sora’s eyes widened, and Kairi snickered, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the crowd, “I know you probably haven’t noticed much – you get _super_ into your work, but it’s not like I can judge – but they spend a lot of time talking, when Xion isn’t taking pictures or talking with you.”

Kairi was right – Sora does get a little intense when he’s on the clock; and the added distraction of Riku and Kairi’s returned presence didn’t help matters much either, when it came to his attention span. He’s had a special kind of tunnel vision, these past few weeks.

“I usually notice that kind of stuff better,” he mumbled, scratching at his cheek, “I feel silly for not seeing it. Should we – should we go find them?”

“Oh, no – I think a little alone time will give Naminè some courage.” She gave his arm a squeeze, “is Riku with you?”

“Yeah! He should be at one of the other stalls with Roxas.”

“Oh!” Kairi’s grip faltered a little on his arm, and Sora looked down at her, brows wrinkling in concern. “Roxas is with you? Your – your old roommate?”

“He is, yeah! He’s been wanting to meet you, too, so this is really lucky! Come on, let’s go find them.” He grabbed the hand Kairi had placed on his arm, holding it tight as they made their way through the crowds, keeping an eye out for Riku’s platinum hair.

It wasn’t hard to miss, and Sora easily found him with Roxas, standing near a smattering of picnic tables. Roxas’ back was to him, so he couldn’t see his expression, but Riku’s face was doing that tight, constipated thing again, arms crossed loosely over his chest.

“Riku! Roxas! Look who I found!” They turned at the sound of his voice, and Sora jogged over to them, Kairi at his heels, taking a moment to catch their breath once they were near.

“She startled me over by the stalls. Roxas, this is Kairi!” Straightening up, he pulled Kairi forward by their still joined hands, “Kairi, this is Roxas! From the picture, you know –”

“Yes.” Slowly, she smiled at him, “it’s nice to meet you in person!”

“You as well! Sora’s told me a lot about you.”

“Only good things, right?”

“Well,” Roxas’ lips twitched into a crooked grin, “here and there.”

Wrinkling her nose, Kairi squinted at Sora, “Sora. Have you been telling Roxas lies about us?”

“Huh?! No! Roxas, cut that out – I never said anything mean about you guys, I swear!”

Kairi’s squinting increased, and Sora gently pushed her face away with a groan. “Stop looking at me like that! Roxas, quit causing trouble.”

“Boo, you’re no fun.” Roxas reached out to wind an arm around Sora, pulling him in to knock their temples together. “Anyway – before you two showed up, Riku and I were trying to decide on where to get something to eat.”

He cut a look out the corner of his eye, and Sora turned to Riku, still standing a little distance away. “Riku, come here,” he held out his hand, beckoning, “were you two able to decide? I’m kinda feeling some sweets, if you don’t mind. Kairi, would you like to come eat with us? Or do you want to go find Naminè and Xion?”

“Hold up, Xion’s here –??”

Something in his gut was telling him differently; that whatever conversation they had wasn’t about eating food at all. Nothing about food options would put a look like that on Riku’s face.

Sora wondered what he was missing. He wondered if Roxas would tell him.

For now, he’d play along.

“Food sounds like a great idea,” Kairi agreed, “I saw this nice dumpling stall that I wanted to try –”

Quietly, her hand slipped out of his, and Sora felt a little bereft.

-o-

Despite Sora feeling like he was missing out on something, he enjoyed the festival all the same.

He followed Roxas’ simple plan to the letter; his arms were laden with bags of treats and trinkets, phone full of new pictures – selfies with his friends, pictures of the stalls, shots of the river glittering in the sun and the way the flowers glowed in the sunset. Even with just his phone, the pictures were spectacular.

“Jesus,” Kairi had muttered in disbelief, looking over the selfie Sora took with her and Riku, “you need to send me this one.”

He was _very_ proud.

Sora didn’t get to see Naminè and Xion, but he didn’t mind – he’ll have plenty of opportunity during Heart Squad Brunch to see how her day at the festival went, if she doesn’t text him about it beforehand.

“I had so much fun today!” Sora turned on his heel to grin at them, glad for the bags that hung on his arms – they helped resist the urge to scratch at his cheek, where Kairi had placed a temporary tattoo. Riku and Roxas hadn’t escaped, either, so now they were all sporting a sparkly pink flower somewhere on their person.

“I did, too,” Riku agreed, hefting the stuffed animal he won at one of the games under his arm – a ridiculously colored stuffed cat, that he instantly gave to Sora as soon as the vendor handed it over.

“What am I gonna do with this?” He’d laughed, and Riku’s eyes crinkled with his grin. “Just use it as a pillow and think of me,” he suggested slyly, and Sora had hit him with it.

He volunteered to carry it for him near the end of the day, now that Sora was weighed down with so many bags.

“I had a nice time, too!” Kairi piped up, “I thought I’d get tired halfway through the day, but I’m glad I didn’t! This was really fun.”

“Awesome! That's great.” Sora smiled at them, “but it _is_ getting late…I guess – Riku, you’re probably gonna ride back with Kairi and the girls, huh?”

“Ah – I _would_ , but I kinda left my car at your place, so I should probably –”

“Right!! Oh my god, I forgot. Well, let’s head back to my place so we can send you off. Kairi, I’ll see you later, okay? I’d hug you, but –”

Kairi laughed a little, “just hold out your arms, Sora.”

“…Okay…?” Confused, he stretched out his arms, and only squeaked a little bit when Kairi pressed close to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and giving him a squeeze. “I’ll see you later,” she said warmly after letting him go, “and I’ll see _you_ at home.”

Turning to Riku, she rose onto her toes to press a swift kiss onto his lips, rocking back on her heels and sending Roxas a bright grin. “It was nice to meet you! I’m glad Sora has such a good person in his life.”

Roxas tilted his head to the side, eyes thoughtful, but he gave Kairi a warm smile regardless of the look in his eyes. “I’m glad we could meet, too – it was a long time coming.”

Giving them all one last wave, Kairi vanished into the crowd, and it was just the three of them. “Alright,” Sora said, hitching his bags up his arms, “let’s get to the car.”

The walk to the car was quiet, and so was the drive back to his apartment – but it wasn’t…. _bad_. It wasn’t a kind of silence that stressed him out. The silence felt more…thoughtful, than upsetting. So, he didn’t mind it; Sora had the feeling that everyone just had something on their minds.

Once they were parked in front of his apartment complex, Roxas slid out of the car, starting to make his way towards the doors while Riku and Sora lingered, standing on the sidewalk.

Suddenly, Sora felt a little shy, “…you really had a good time?” he asked, wanting to make sure. Strands of Riku’s hair was slipping out of the bun he had it in, and he looked tired from all the walking they did – but he looked happy, too, eyes warm turquoise as they looked over him.

“Yeah, Sora. Today was fun.” He huffed a little laugh, “your Roxas is a piece of work, though. But I like him – he’s a good person.”

Sora’s chest filled with warmth, and he smiled, relieved that his favorite people got along well enough. “I’m glad! I was a little nervous that you wouldn’t get along, but I’m glad those worries were unnecessary.”

Riku rolled his eyes, scoffing a little under his breath, “I’d try and be on my best behavior even if I _didn’t_ like him – since it’s for you.”

“Oh.” He could feel heat rising to his face and hoped Riku would think it would be some leftover exertion from carrying all those bags. “Well – good! I can’t have you two making trouble. Anyway, I – I probably shouldn’t keep you, huh? I know you’re tired. I’ll open the trunk so you can get your bags.”

Sora quickly made sure Riku had all his bags together – much less than what Sora had purchased – and gave him a bright smile. “Have a good night, Riku. I’ll see you Monday?”

“Mm.” Adjusting his bags, Riku gave him one last smile, fishing for his keys in his pocket, “I’ll see you Monday. Goodnight, Sora. Good meeting you, Roxas.” He said the last part a little louder, so Roxas would be able to hear it, and gave him a wave before turning and heading to his car.

Once Riku was out of sight, Sora let out a huge sigh, running his hands across his face and forgetting about the tattoo on his cheek until one of his hands came away covered in glitter.

“That went well.”

He didn’t jump at Roxas’ sudden appearance at his side, wiping his glittery hand on his jeans. “I am glad you guys got along,” Sora agreed, “I had a lot of fun today.”

“That’s good.”

Sora wanted to get started with grabbing his bags and heading inside, but he was waiting – he felt like Roxas had something he wanted to say.

“Were you able to get all the information you needed?” He quietly asked, reminding him of the talk they had earlier today, and Roxas hummed. “I think so,” he answered, thoughtful, “but…hmm.”

“What?”

Roxas hummed again, and when Sora turned to look at him, he was smiling. “I don’t think I’m going to tell you,” he said simply, and Sora gaped at him, outraged.

“But -!!”

“Hey.” Roxas placed a hand on his arm, “remember how you told me about how good you were when it came to feelings? All the emotion stuff?”

“…Yes? What does that have to do with -”

“Just – remember that, I guess.” He gave his arm a squeeze before letting him go, “you’re really smart, Sora, so I know it’ll come to you eventually. Okay?”

“…Okay,” he answered reluctantly, and Roxas gave him another smile.

“Cool. I’ll help you bring in all this stuff before I go, alright?”

Pressing his lips together, Sora suppressed a sigh and tried not to feel frustrated, moving to his still open truck and reaching in to grab some of his bags.

Once again, he wondered what it was that he was missing, that Roxas wouldn’t tell him.

He hoped that he figured it out soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand done.
> 
> I think I want this to end at six chapters, and I've been asking myself - can it really be a slow burn if it's only six chapters? who knows? not me! 
> 
> we're almost at the scene that made me want to write this whole thing in the first place, so I hope I don't blow it. thanks again for sticking with me! comments and kudos are loved, as usual.
> 
> take care of yourselves! until next time!
> 
> (also p.s. - yes the stuffed animal was absolutely a meow wow, what do you take me for)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all
> 
> I was gonna wait 'till morning to update this but I.....have been working on this all week. and I wanna get it out now. this is the chapter that has the scene that made me plot out this whole thing, so. god I hope it delivers.
> 
> anyway I guess that's all I've got to say for now!
> 
> y'all see that added tag so you know what the fuck is goin' on.

Sora hated to say it, but he wasn’t really sure he was getting the – the _story_ that this ballet was trying to tell.

Most ballet shows had a pretty easy story to follow, a beginning, middle, and end that’s easy to track - but this one he just…wasn’t _getting._ He could see it a little, when they were practicing the opening act; he felt the air of searching that they projected, the yearning for something in their life that they just didn’t understand. But the ongoing acts felt – disjointed. Something just wasn’t clicking for him.

So, at the start of week six – two weeks remaining until showtime – Sora decided to go and question the source.

“Hey, Terra?”

The man waved him over with a warm smile, brown eyes bright and welcoming. “Sora,” he said kindly once he stood next to him, “what’s up?”

“I’ve got a question.” They leaned against the wall, watching Aqua lead the dancers through the morning warm up for the day. Terra turned to stare at him, curious, and Sora scuffed his heel against the wood floor. “It’s kind of dumb, but…I’ve been trying to get the… _point_ of the ballet? You know, the story?”

“Ah,” Terra hummed, nodding in understanding, and Sora felt a little less bad because of it.

“Riku and Kairi have tried to explain it to me,” he continued, starting to cross his arms before remembering his camera hanging around his neck, “and I kinda saw what they were talking about in the intro, but now it’s just – not coming together for me. So I was hoping you could explain?”

“Sure thing.” Terra closed his eyes in thought, crossing his arms across his chest as he gathered his words. “I think it was a couple years ago when I was starting to get a little tired. We’d been doing the usual shows, you know – I think we’d just finished up the showing for The Nutcracker, and I wanted to do something different. That’s when I’d started the bare bones of the choreography for this show.”

He opened his eyes, tilting his head as he looked at Sora, “do you wanna tell me what you’ve felt, so far?”

“Uh, yeah! Like I said, the opening act makes sense – it’s like…they’re all searching for something. That’s how it feels, anyway. They’re all looking for something in their lives – wanting something – but it’s not clear to them yet, I guess? And then going from there it’s a little, mmm…disjointed, I suppose?”

“That’s fair. You’re spot on with the description of the opening, that’s what I was going for. The rest – this is kind of an experimental piece.” Terra tapped at his chin, thoughtful, “each act is supposed to represent something different. The dancers, they all projected this feeling of looking for something, a desire for something more – and it comes to them in different ways. Because it’s different for everyone; it could be friendship, or independence. A need for closure from the past. Love. Tell me, what is it about the remaining acts that are confusing for you?”

“I guess…” Sora bit his lip as he thought about it, “I guess it’s because when it ends it feels…unfinished? But it just moves on to the next topic.”

“Right. As pretentious as it sounds, it’s honestly intentional,” Terra laughed, eyes crinkling in the corners with his smile. “I wanted to leave each set open ended and have that feeling of ambiguous-ness. That they’ve found what they were wanting in this moment, but where they go from there is still uncertain. Does that help clear things up?”

“Yes!” Sora sighed in relief, “I was feeling really bad, like I was missing something – but that helps it make more sense. Thank you, Terra.”

“Anytime. I’m glad you asked – I’m happy to have gotten the chance to explain the show. I’ll look at it as a trial run for when the Radiant Times asks me the same question closer to showtime.”

He winked and started stretching as Sora laughed quietly into his hand, taking a couple of steps out onto the floor.

“Aqua looks like she’s wrapping up, so I guess it’s time to put these kids to work.” Giving him one last nod, Terra moved to stand next to Aqua and sharply clapped his hands, signaling the start of the day. Xion was already positioned on the opposite side of the room, camera at the ready, so Sora pulled his camera from around his neck and readied himself, prepared to take in the dance with new eyes and a fresher perspective.

-o-

“Soraaa.”

He prided himself on not jumping out of his skin when arms wrapped around his chest, a body pressing into his back as someone pressed their forehead against the back of his neck.

“Kairi,” he scolded, squirming in her arms, “gross, you’re all sweaty, come on.”

“I am,” she agreed, pressing herself closer, “but that’s not important.”

“You rubbing your sweat all over me isn’t important??”

“Nope!” She chirped happily, “Sora, you should come over for dinner tonight.”

“Oh?” He stopped trying to slide out of her surprisingly strong grip at that, “you…dinner? Do you mean, like, take out? Or that one of you are actually attempting cooking for once?”

Kairi let him go just to spin him around and pout at him, affronted. She put her hands on her hips, the tulle skirt she was wearing adding to her puffed up, offended front. Sora had to bite his lips to hold back his laughter – she looked more along the lines of cute than upset, honestly.

“Sora, that’s so rude! We’re grown, of _course_ we can cook!”

“I just need to check, because when we left home, that _definitely_ wasn’t the case.”

“ _Wow._ ” Kairi crossed her arms, and Sora’s eyes traced across the line of her bared shoulders, the cut of the top she wore to practice highlighting the shape. “I changed my mind; I don’t want you to come over for dinner anymore. I’m telling Riku.”

“Telling me what?”

Riku walked up to them, workout bag slung over his shoulder as he wiped at his face with a towel, and Sora’s eyes darted to him for a second before looking away, bending down to fumble with his bag. It’s always hard to look at them during practice because of what the wear or certain – _stretches_ , that they do, sometimes. But today was _especially_ hard, what with Kairi and her _shoulders_ and _collarbones_ and – and Riku and that _cropped shirt_. Who does that?

He almost dropped his bag on his foot when he first saw it this morning, and he _knew_ that Xion was going to give him grief about it _and_ tell their friends. She’ll never let him live it down and constantly call them his ‘hot friends’ behind his back _and_ to his face forever.

Just – he wasn’t _prepared_ for that. Who ever is?

“Sora was dunking on our cooking skills, so I don’t want him over for dinner anymore.” Kairi said, bringing his focus back to the present conversation and away from collarbones and cropped shirts.

“Oh, but didn’t you want to _impress_ him with all our growth?”

The flush on Kairi’s cheeks increased as Riku smirked at her, tucking his towel away into his bag. “Shut up, no I don’t,” she denied staunchly, “I don’t want to cook anymore. I want to go home and order takeout like we usually do, and sleep for a week.”

“But Kairi, we went _grocery shopping._ We got all prepared and everything.”

“I’m getting mixed signals here,” Sora broke in, bemused – once again feeling like he was out of the loop. “Do you want me for dinner or not?”

“ _Yeah,_ we do,” Riku emphasized, and the blush in Kairi’s face increased. “Are you free tonight?”

“I am, though I do have to take Xion home. Are you sure, though? You’re not too tired?”

Today they practiced the last part of the show, which, to his surprise, turned out to be Riku and Kairi’s big moment – a pas de deux. It was only the introduction day, though; Terra and Aqua demonstrated what was expected of them, performing a breathtaking duet showing the tentative steps into new love. Its ending wasn’t fully complete, like the other sets – but it had a more hopeful air to it, an uplifting glimpse into what could be.

Riku and Kairi spent the day getting used to the motions, studying the steps and lifts that were expected of them, and Sora felt tired just by watching how hard they were working.

Kairi waved a hand at his concern, still slightly flushed, “oh, it’s not like we have to do anything crazy; we prepped everything the night before, so all we have to do is cook it. It won’t take long.”

Oh, they were _prepared;_ they really did plan everything out. Still unsure, Sora pinched at his bottom lip, thinking about it.

“Mmm…if you’re sure –”

“We’re sure.” Riku confirmed, “besides, it’s just dinner – it’s not like we’re doing anything else afterward.”

“If only,” Kairi muttered under her breath, and Riku gave her a gentle shove.

“So? Yes? You’re gonna say yes, right?”

“Alright, alright!” Sora laughed, “yes. Yes, I’ll have dinner with you two. When do you want me over?”

“Give us an hour or so? We should have everything ready around eight.”

“Okay. I’ll be there.”

“Wow,” Xion said casually, sauntering up to his side as soon as he finished saying his goodbyes and waving them off, “it’s a feat that you were able to keep your eyes from staying glued on your hot friend’s abs.”

“I know you know their names, and that you’re doing this to mess with me,” Sora said lightly. “And you can’t say shit to me, Xion, because you almost dropped your camera this morning when you saw Naminè lift her foot over her head during stretches. Now, let’s get you home – and _maybe_ I won’t tell Roxas about it so he can laugh at you later tonight.”

Pouting, Xion elbowed his ribs, free hand reaching up to hide the blush spreading across her face. “Maybe I already told him! Maybe I complained to him about it during our lunch break! You can’t embarrass me if I’ve already embarrassed myself!”

The ride to his apartment after dropping Xion off was fine, filled with pleasant jabs back and forth, and it was only until he was in his apartment that he started to worry.

Should he shower and change? Probably, since Kairi decided to rub all her sweat into the back of his shirt. But what should he _wear?_ It – it should be casual, right? Because that’s what this was. A casual dinner with friends. A thing that they did almost every other day, if they weren’t too tired.

No big deal.

So _why_ was he _worrying?_

 _They’re cooking for me,_ he thought, dazedly, _they rarely cook whenever I go see them for dinner. It’s usually just takeout!!_

The thought of them making food for him – taking the time to get the ingredients and prepare – it made something soft and gooey fill his chest. It made him nervous.

“Ugh!” Sora groaned out loud, roughly slapping his cheeks, “this is ridiculous!!”

He was acting like this was some – some _date,_ which it _definitely wasn’t_ , because _why would it be?_

“They want you over for dinner because they’re your friends, and they’ve missed you,” he whispered harshly to himself, “stop freaking out over it.”

He slapped his face once more for good measure, and then went to take a quick shower, snatching up a pair of joggers and a sweatshirt from his drawers. He didn’t do anything fancy, stomping down any urge to do so in the desire to impress, because _why would he,_ and Sora grabbed his keys and left the apartment in record time, following the instructions to get to Riku and Kairi’s apartment.

 _I’m not nervous_ , he reminded himself as he rode up the elevator, _it’s not like I haven’t come over before. It’s not like we haven’t had dinner together before._

But again, they just – haven’t _made_ him dinner before, so this felt a little – different.

 _Keep it together!_ Sora fiercely told himself as he walked up to their door, and he let out a shaky breath before rapping his knuckles across the wood. The door quickly swung open, and as Kairi stood there with a wide smile, Sora relaxed a little when he saw she was as dressed down as he was in yoga pants and a simple t-shirt.

“Good timing! We just finished up, it’s like you always know. Come on in,” she stepped aside, sweeping an arm out as he stepped into their home.

“Still got it,” he joked, kicking off his shoes, “it smells wonderful – what did you make?”

“Oh, nothing crazy – some baked salmon, potatoes. Some greens. Nothing big. Riku’s just finishing plating everything up, so come on and sit!”

He followed Kairi into the kitchen, where Riku turned to welcome him with a warm smile, hands laden with two plates. “Hey, Sora. Kairi, your plate’s already on the table, go ahead and sit.”

Kairi moved to the table after giving Riku a kiss on the cheek in thanks, sitting where a plate was placed on the right of the table. Sora started to move to the left, assuming the seat at the head of the table is where Riku would go, so he could sit next to Kairi, but started a little when Riku nudged him over with his hip, placing the plates down as he took the seat Sora expected to be his.

Leaving the spot between them for him.

That horribly familiar flutter of nerves rose in his heart.

They’ve been doing this – a lot, now. Ever since they stayed the night, those few weeks ago. Whenever they hung out now, whether it’s dinner, a night out, or movie night at one of their apartments, Riku and Kairi always strive to have Sora sitting between them.

It’s, well.

It’s _nice._ But Sora also doesn’t know what to do with himself, aside from swallowing his nerves down, once again, and taking the place they offer him.

Plus, the food smelled awfully good, which was also good incentive.

“I thought you said it was nothing crazy,” he said accusingly to Kairi, who was already eating, “this feels like a bit much.”

“Nah.” Riku jabbed his fork at his plate, “we marinated the salmon while we were at the studio. Baked it with the potatoes and made the greens when we got home. Easy peasy.”

“I promise, Sora, it wasn’t really that hard,” Kairi said, backing Riku up. “Now, try it!! Tell us what you think!!”

“Alright, alright! Fine! ‘Easy peasy’, he says,” Sora mumbles, scooping up a forkful of warm, flaky salmon and bringing it to his lips, “‘wasn’t really that hard’, she says - _oh my god_.” A burst of flavors spread across his tongue, and he distantly heard Kairi’s fork clatter against her plate as he moaned quietly in surprise. “Wow! _Wow_ , this _is_ good. I’m very impressed!! Good job, guys!”

“Yeah,” Riku said, tone vaguely stunned, “thanks.”

“You two aren’t going to pull some dessert out of nowhere, are you?”

“Ha!” Kairi snorted with laughter, “dessert is going to be a mug of ice cream from the pint in our freezer.”

“That is,” Riku interjected, “if you’re not busy. We don’t want to keep you out too late.”

“Mmm,” Sora scooped up another forkful of salmon, “aside from work in the morning, I’ve got nothing. So I can probably stick around for a little ice cream.”

Sora knew he would probably be getting home a little late; that’s always what happens, whenever they make time to hang out after work. But he didn’t mind – he liked this, laughing together over dinner as they talked about anything but work, clearing up their plates and moving into the living room. There were plenty of spaces to sit, with two cushiony armchairs as well as the couch, but the three of them always end up slouching together on the couch every time.

“Aw, strawberry?” Sora exclaimed once his mug of ice cream was handed to him, “you guys really do love me, I know you two hate strawberry.”

“It’s an abomination,” Kairi agreed, plopping next to him on the couch, “this is strictly a chocolate ice cream household, but we got a pint in there just for you.”

“How sweet,” Sora cooed as Riku sat down, putting him between the two of them, as always. “Can we turn on the television? There’s this show I’ve been watching, and I think it’s about to come on – it’s almost ten, right?”

He sank further into the couch, bringing a heaping spoonful of ice cream to his lips as the comfortable silence was filled with noise from the television. Between the warmth emanating from Riku and Kairi and the strawberry sweetness that spread across his tongue, Sora couldn’t remember why he was so nervous about tonight at all.

He doesn’t remember it exactly, but somewhere between finishing his ice cream and near the end of the show he wanted to watch, Sora dozed off. He couldn’t sink completely into a deep sleep, though – the feeling of fingers brushing his hair out of his face bringing him back, somewhat.

“Looks like he’s asleep,” Kairi’s voice faintly came to him, “he must have been more tired than he was letting on. Look at that face.”

Sora wondered if this was all a dream – he couldn’t remember ever hearing Kairi’s voice sound so fond.

“He sleeps so soundly, it’s almost like nothing is wrong.” Riku laughed quietly, and Sora felt fingers tracing across his brow once again. “Should we wake him?”

“In a moment. Let’s clear these mugs.”

Time slipped away from him after that; he could hear the faint clink of mugs, the soft murmur of their voices over running water, and then Sora was dozing off again. He came to when he felt hands moving him, listing sideways until his head was lying in someone’s lap. Fingers ran through his hair, nails dragging lightly across his scalp, and it felt so good that Sora was about ready to just call it quits and pass out for good.

Overhead, there were voices, and they came in and out of focus as Sora struggled to wake up.

“Want – to stay…”

“I know.”

“Do you think he –”

“– Not sure. Maybe we can -”

Sora was so tired. He needed to get home.

His nose wrinkled as he forced himself to wake up, and the voices overhead stopped abruptly as he pried his eyes open with a groan. “Riku,” he murmured, voice coming from deep within his chest, “Kairi. What time is it? Did I fall asleep?”

“You did, but not for long,” Kairi reassured him, and Sora noticed that it was her lap his head was resting in, her fingers that were running through his hair. “It’s a little after eleven, so you weren’t asleep for too long.”

Her fingers slid out of his hair as he slowly sat up, and Sora found himself missing the sensation as he rubbed his hands over his face with a groan. “I should probably head home,” he mumbled into his hands, “go and get some sleep.”

“Are you gonna be okay to drive?” Riku asked, “if not, you can stay the night, if you need.”

It was tempting, but he wasn’t sure how well his heart would be able to take it, so Sora shook his head. “No, no…I just need a minute. If it wasn’t a work night, I might’ve taken you up on it.”

Hauling up to his feet, Sora felt his sweatshirt ride up as he stretched his arms overhead, as high as he could go, taking a few deep breaths to clear his head.

“Okay,” he yawned, lowering his arms, “Okay. I should be good. I’ll get out of your hair, now – thanks for making dinner, and I’m sorry for keeping you up so late.” He smiled at his two friends, still sitting on the couch, “have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Bathed in the flickering light of the television, Riku and Kairi stared at him with something in their eyes Sora couldn’t entirely read. Finally, Kairi smiled, “yeah. We’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”

“And text us when you make it to your apartment,” Riku said sternly, “we don’t want anything happening to you.”

“Fine, okay…alright. I’m off!”

“See you later!”

And with one last smile, he was gone.

It was cooler, when he stepped outside, and Sora took in another deep breath, letting the chilled air clear his head. He felt a little lonely, standing out there on his own, and Sora partially regretted turning down their offer to stay. The cold continued to help sharpen his senses, and he roughly ran his hands through his sleep-tousled hair. “Go _home_ ,” he told himself aloud, “get some sleep. You’ll see them again tomorrow.”

He had a few things to do before going to bed, anyway – staying the night wouldn’t have been the best idea.

Nodding to himself, he started to make his way to his car, digging his keys out of his pocket and hoping for a quick drive home. The sooner he got home, the sooner he could rest.

-o-

“Sora, I think I’m gonna have to call an intervention,” Roxas said, pulling his attention away from his laptop.

“Huh?” Blinking rapidly, Sora tilted his head back, looking up at Roxas in confusion, “intervention? For what? How come?”

Roxas gave him a flat look, resting his elbow against the arm of the couch he was laying back on, making Sora slouch further onto his chest. Since there were officially two weeks left until the first show, Sora thought it would be a good idea for him and Xion to take some time to look through all the photos they’d taken so far, to decide which ones would be best for the Radiant Times’ portfolio.

They met up at Roxas’ place, to have a second opinion, and also because he’d be involved with editing, if any photos required it, and after a quick dinner they settled down and got to work. As they crept further into the evening, the three of them ended up sprawled across the couch and each other, Sora leaning against Roxas’ chest while Xion laid across the other half of the couch, laptop perched on her chest with her legs on top of Sora’s, her feet resting on Sora’s lap that wasn’t occupied with his own computer.

“Your gallery of photos seems very… _focused_. On something.”

“Two somethings, even,” Xion piped up, not looking away from her computer, and Sora scowled at his screen.

“The pictures were from the pas de deux they’ve been working on this week, of course I’m going to focus on them more.”

“Sora, I’ve been letting you use me as a pillow for the last couple hours, and I can assure you it’s not just the photos from this week.” Reaching around him, Roxas scrolled until they were back at the top of the photos he’d taken in the last few weeks, and as they slowly scrolled back down, Sora started to notice that there was a – a _decent amount_ of shots that contained Riku and Kairi. He must have slipped back into that old habit he had when he was a kid, back when his two friends were his most fascinating subjects for photos on the island.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, “okay, I guess you’re right. Oh, no – Roxas, does this mean all the – that my portfolio is useless??”

His stomach ached at the thought; weeks of work, hours spent watching them dance, and turning up empty handed, nothing worthwhile to show for it. The idea alone was _unbearable._

“Roxas, we stressed him out.” Xion nudged him with her foot, patting his thigh, “don’t worry about it like that – I can’t even see it and I’m sure your portfolio is still good.”

“It is,” Roxas agreed, pressing a hand to Sora’s forehead, “it’s not as bad as you’re starting to think it is, so don’t freak out.”

“Then why would you _say_ something like that?” He asked, annoyed, “you know how I feel about my work! That was mean, you guys – I’m trying to do this job right.”

“Sorry, Sora.” Xion finally tore her eyes away from her work to look at him, and she sounded contrite enough that he felt his muscles relax. “We were just teasing; we didn’t want to upset you like that.”

Xion’s attention was pulled away once more by her phone, lighting up on the little coffee table in front of them and buzzing with a text notification.

“What gives, anyway?” Roxas asked, jostling him as Xion checked her phone, “it is kind of a lot of pictures.”

His hand was still pressed against his forehead, so Sora just tilted his head back to look at him, “I mean, you kinda already guessed it back in college…I always took pictures of them, back at home. Since we were always together almost every day. I guess I just –”

He pursed his lips, a little embarrassed to admit it, “I just, I dunno – fell back into old habits without realizing it.”

It was a habit he’d been guilty of since he was young; it wasn’t like he didn’t take pictures of _other_ things back when he lived at home. He had old pictures of the markets, of his family, of his other friends from high school – it wasn’t _just_ pictures of Riku and Kairi all the time.

They were just…his best subjects. His _favorite_ subjects. His eye had always been drawn to them, every time.

He guesses that that part of him didn’t change, even after a near decade apart.

Sora knew that Roxas could basically read his mind at this point, with how long they’ve known each other and his ability to read the thoughts on his face like a book, so he tried to shake his hand off his forehead, wanting to hide his face. The effort was late, but it was the principle of the thing.

Roxas took the hint, and pulled his hand away, ruffling it through Sora’s hair until he sucked on his teeth in irritation and swiped at his hand, laughing as he stretched his arm back along the arm of the couch. “We’re supposed to be working, right?”

“ _I’ve_ been working,” Xion said placidly, “hey, look over here.”

Simultaneously, they looked up at her, just as there was a loud click from her phone. “That better have been a good one,” Roxas said, while Sora blinked at Xion in confusion. She scoffed loudly, fingers flying across her phone, “Roxas, who the hell do you think I am?”

“What’s all the picture taking for?” Sora asked while Xion put her phone back on the table, returning to her laptop.

“Oh, I sent it to Naminè so she can show your hot friends,” Xion said casually, “she’d asked how my night was going, so, you know.”

Sora’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her, processing, “…are you messing with them? Did Roxas pull you in on this?”

“ _Yeah,_ I’m messing with them, glad you caught on,” Xion said, “and of course he did! What’s a little foolery between friends?”

“ _Why,_ though?”

“I just need to be sure. Well, _we_ need to be sure.”

“Sure about what??”

“I dunno,” Xion shrugged, “that they’re good enough for you. I’ve talked to them on my own while we’re at work, and I did spend the festival with Kairi for a while, and they _are_ pretty nice, but – I like to be sure. You said it _has_ been almost ten years.”

She looked up at him, eyes as calm and blue as a still lake, “you’re our friend, too. And, y’know, we care about you, _obviously._ So, yeah, I’m gonna mess with them a little.”

At his back, Roxas was silent, and Sora was touched at her words, but still confused, “but…a picture of me and Roxas? How’s that gonna mess with them?”

Xion hummed, “you’ll see, maybe. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Anyway, I’m almost done picking through my photos – do you want to compare when you’re done?”

 _Figure out -?_ The rapid change in conversation was confusing, leaving Sora adrift as he tried to parse out the point of Xion’s actions.

“ _Have_ you figured it out, yet?” Roxas asked softly into his ear, and Sora sighed through his nose, quietly frustrated.

“I need more information before I say something,” He said, calling back the words Roxas said to him during the festival and reminding him of the information he was withholding.

Roxas snorted at the reminder, relaxing further into the couch, “sure, sure. It seems pretty obvious to us, so I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon.”

“You give me too much credit,” Sora muttered, rolling his eyes, “would help if I knew what either of you were talking about.” He still couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were having two completely different conversations.

“Anyway,” he continued, his tone somewhat short, “I’m pretty much done with my choices, Xion. We can compare whenever you’re ready. And Roxas, since I know you’ve been looking over my shoulder this whole time, were there any photos that you saw from my set that you feel could use a little editing -?”

It was easy to move back into the currents of a conversation that he could actually follow; work was as straightforward as any topic could be, right now – there was no hiding behind something he didn’t fully understand, here.

His friends have such faith in him understanding something that was apparently going on right before his eyes that he just couldn’t see. Roxas’ words from the festival, his encouragement that it would come to him soon, since he was so good at ‘feelings stuff’ rattled around in his head for days afterwards. Sora didn’t really feel as ‘feelings smart’ as he believed, at this point – really, he was feeling more clueless than ever.

 _I’m hopeless,_ he sighed to himself, focusing back on the bright glare of his laptop. With opening night creeping closer, he didn’t have time to focus on things like that. He needed to get it together, for now.

He had a job to do, and he wanted to do it well until the very end.

-o-

It finally came to him on a dull, uneventful Wednesday afternoon.

It was near the end of the workday, and so far, the day had been fine; he slept well enough, woke up decently, and made it to the academy on time. He even found a good parking spot!

He said his good morning greetings to Aqua with Xion, spending a moment chatting with Terra before getting ready to prepare his camera.

It was just – a normal, regular day.

“I feel good about today,” Riku said, announcing his and Kairi’s presence as they sat on either side of him while he set up for the day. It was their ritual, at this point – sitting and chatting with him, doing some stretches to warm up as the three of them prepared for another long day.

“Feeling confident?” Kairi asked with a raised eyebrow, and Riku nodded, chest parallel to the floor as he leaned into a stretch.

“We’re gonna do it this time,” he declared, “I can feel it.”

“Oh, you think you two got the pas de deux today?” Sora asked, bringing his camera to his eye to take a test shot. “Well, I believe in you – you have been working really hard.”

And they _have_ ; with only a week left of practice, it’s felt like the dancers’ focus has increased with their determination, become razor sharp in their efforts to achieve perfection and make Terra and Aqua proud. He knew that after this week, the dancers would move to the theater where the show would take place, to run rehearsals and costumes and ensure that every piece was perfect.

Sora wasn’t sure how it could get any better; their movements have become more and more refined as the days passed, every turn and sway of their bodies perfectly expressing the emotion Terra had been trying to convey, choreographing this dance.

But if it could get better, well – he looked forward to seeing it.

“Well if Sora believes in us, then we’re definitely going to do it!” Kairi cheered, tying her hair back into a bun. “Riku, do you want me to braid your hair?” She asked, tucking a few hairclips in to keep her bangs out of her face, and Riku hummed in assent, straightening up from another stretch so that Kairi could move behind him, quickly combing her fingers through his hair.

Sora peeked at them from the corner of his eye, watching Riku’s eyes slide closed in contentment, glancing at the peaceful curve of Kairi’s lips as she gathered up Riku’s long platinum hair and tucked it into a neat braid.

Even after all these weeks, he was still – _adjusting_ , to getting to see the easy intimacy they have with each other. Breathes through the twist in his chest that always comes and wonders still at how he was supposed to be a part of it.

“Alright, everyone!” Aqua called out, easily getting their attention, “it’s about time to start – everyone, get in your places for warmups before we begin.”

“Just in time,” Kairi said, grabbing the hair tie Riku held up to hold the braid together. “Let’s get to work! Make sure you get our good side, okay, Sora?”

“How insulting - you say that like I already don’t!” He made a face at her, and Kairi made a face right back, causing Riku to snort with laughter. “Alright, come on, let’s go do our jobs.” He nudged Kairi ahead and tossed a smile at Sora over his shoulder before herding Kairi over to the barre.

After a thorough warmup, the run through of the show began, and Sora could admit with confidence as the day went on – this practice was probably the best one yet.

Neither Terra or Aqua needed to follow the dancers across the floor, and there were no calls for a pause, or a need to correct a dancer’s movements. It was a near perfect run through, and Sora became more and more impressed as the day went on – and _proud_.

He’d been watching them for days, watched them work and sweat and swear as they strove to reach their teachers’ high expectations of them. They pushed themselves to near exhaustion for this, only stopping when it was time for a lunch break, and to see them run through the show so well…

Sora felt a smile curve his lips, and he lifted his camera to take another picture.

As soon as lunch had ended, they were back on the floor, ready to work through the latter half of the ballet, and then –

And then it was just Riku and Kairi, and their pas de deux.

Sora had seen them do this part so many times, but it was always incomplete, full of pauses and corrections as they got used to the motions. Today, though – so far, today had been _good_ ; the dance had been near perfect, their movements so well done that not even Sora, with his lack of dance experience, could see any flaws. So if that was a sign for anything, then surely today…

He felt his heart speed up a little with excitement, and he held his camera a little tighter, excited to see his friends at their best.

The [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSKSuEHbvi4) started, a low, slow piano, and Riku, standing alone on the opposite side of the room, began to move. It was the best Sora had ever seen him, form perfect as he turned and jumped, moving closer to the center of the room with each step. Once he was there, he stopped abruptly just as the chords of the piano moved into something a little lighter, and Kairi stepped onto the floor.

Sora never knew how Riku was able to do it – when Kairi stepped onto the floor, every time, his expression morphed into something bright and open, as though he was seeing her for the first time.

With each chime of the piano, Kairi moved in a little closer, her movements hesitant, unsure – but she had that same expression, open, tremulous, like she’d never seen Riku before. A flute started up, overlaying with the piano as Kairi moved within arm’s reach, and slowly, they began to dance together.

Kairi’s movements were still hesitant, dancing in and out of Riku’s reach – showing that there was _something_ there, but she wasn’t sure about acting on it. All the while, Riku circled around her, encouraging her to fall into the steps, to dance with him, that he would be there to catch her every time.

The piano returned, with an aching pull of strings accompanying it, and Kairi leaped into the air, Riku’s hands secure on her sides, but looking like he was holding her so lightly that he was barely supporting her at all. Once she was back on the ground, she darted away again, still unsure, but always coming back to him with every pass of the strings, the two of them twirling across the floor.

On what was to be Kairi’s third attempt at backing away, Riku’s hands gripped at her sides and he gracefully fell to his knees, a pleading look on his face. Torn, Kairi leaned into him, her hands sliding up his arms, over his shoulders until one hand cradled the back of his head, and she continued to lean forward until her pointed toes barely grazed the floor, Riku holding up all her weight and making it look effortless.

She ground her forehead against his, closing her eyes as she gave in – just for a second – before the piano came in again, and she broke away, dancing back from Riku’s outstretched arms and getting some distance.

In that short breadth of silence, they stared at each other.

The strings started up again, slow, aching, and the two of them danced across the floor around each other, coming together for just a moment before they were pulled apart. Kairi, still unsure about giving in to the pull of her heart, wondering if this love was worth it – if it would truly last. And Riku, confident in his heart, encouraging Kairi once again to dance with him as the sound of the violin rose and fell, that whatever happened would be worth it, as long as they were together.

A light chime danced across the air as Kairi slowly moved closer to him, began to move in time with him – settling in her decision as the music faded for a moment to finally move with him – to try.

The piano returned, and Riku and Kairi moved across the floor in sync, eyes only on each other as Kairi finally started to give him a chance, weaving around as she finally started to open up her heart.

No matter how many times Sora watched, it pulled him in every time – he was enchanted. Out of all the stories in the ballet, this was the one he could understand, clear as anything. That ache of first love, the desire to open your heart to a person – to give them _everything_ – but having something hold you back. Feeling unsure. Not knowing if the person could truly take care of your heart. Fear holding you back from giving them that full trust, your full self.

Kairi pulled away from Riku once again, that fear back on her face, that hesitance – was it worth it? Is it safe?

_Are we good for each other? Am I enough?_

Riku took a step forward, arms outstretched, and his expression was open, unguarded, telling her – _yes_. It was safe. His hands would be the safest place her heart could ever be.

Something in Kairi’s expression broke. The fear melted away.

The piano and strings melded together into an aching, a longing that Sora could feel in his _bones,_ as Kairi finally allowed herself to give in, to trust and throw herself into Riku’s arms, her heart in his hands as they finally gave in to each other. The air was almost euphoric as they danced, fully in synch – the joy of a fully realized love.

All Sora could feel was the ache.

His hands were numb around his camera – he realized, blankly, that he hadn’t picked it up to take a picture, not once – and he could only watch as his two most beloved people spun together, wrapped up in their own private world.

A world he’d probably never get to be privy to.

The ache increased.

_Ah, hell._

He didn’t notice that the dance had ended until the studio filled with claps and crows of encouragement, Riku and Kairi standing in the middle of it all and practically glowing, they were so happy.

They were so bright – just looking at them hurt.

Slowly, Sora let out a shaky breath, and reached for his phone.

_> Can you come over tonight?_

**_Your Better Half!!_ **

_> Sure, I’m free. You good?_

_> Yes._

_> No._

_> I_

_> I think I have enough information now._

**_Your Better Half!!_ **

_> I’ll be there. Let me know when you’re on the way home._

_> I’ll be leaving soon._

The day was pretty much over; after a pas de deux like that, he wasn’t sure what else there could be left to work on. After checking the time, he saw that it was nearly wrap up time anyway. Letting out another soft, shaky sigh, Sora ran a hand down his face.

His chest still ached.

_Damn._

He needed to keep it together.

“Sora!”

He forced himself to stay focused as Kairi threw herself down next to him, flushed and triumphant. “How was _that?_ ” She crowed, grinning widely, and Sora worked his muscles to give her a warm smile back.

“It was _amazing._ ” And he meant it – his smile was genuine enough for that, at least, “it looked perfect. I’m really proud of you two, you nailed it!”

“I guess you were right, Riku,” Kairi said as he walked up to them, wearily lowering himself down next to Sora, “I’ll never doubt your gut feelings again.”

“I told you we were gonna get it today,” he said smugly, still a little out of breath. “I think I wanna work on it a little more though. Do you want to go to one of the private studios to do one more run through?”

“Ugh, perfectionist,” Kairi groaned, and Riku gave her the stink eye.

“Oh, like you aren’t.”

“Fine, as long as we get food after. Sora, you should come with. If you want,” she added hastily when he turned to her, eyes wide. He looked at the two of them, stuck between them as he always was, and the smile he gave them this time was a little strained.

“Sorry guys.” He stared at the camera in his hands, “I’ve gotta head out – Roxas is coming over tonight, so –”

He looked up just in time to see Kairi’s face fall in disappointment – just for a moment, before she quickly schooled her face into a smile that was a little tight around the edges.

“Oh. Okay, that’s – understandable. Maybe next time?”

“Next time,” Sora promised, “we’ll go wherever you two want, I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“…Yeah.” Riku finally said, and his voice at his back sounded – off. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Sora focused on putting his things away, once they left, and didn’t look up again until Xion was at his side. “I…got kind of caught up in it, at the end,” he admitted quietly, hauling his bag over his shoulder, “I didn’t get any pictures – I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I took plenty.” She looked up at him, expression unreadable as she placed a hand on his arm, “you okay?”

All at once a lump filled his throat, large enough to choke him, and his chest ached as he swallowed it down. “…I’m not sure yet.” He finally said, “Roxas is coming over, so we’re gonna – talk.”

“Good. That’s good.”

Sora nodded, looking down at his shoes, and Xion sighed softly, letting go of his arm to grab onto his hand. “I already said goodbyes for the day on our behalf, so – let’s get out of here. Come on.”

Grip strong and sure, Xion tugged him out of that large, sunset drenched room, and Sora could do nothing but follow.

-o-

See, this whole time, Sora hasn’t been very honest – to others, but mostly to himself.

It goes like this:

Back on Destiny Islands, Sora had two best friends.

They spent nearly every day together, and the islanders always sighed about how when you saw one running, the other two were sure to follow.

His _best_ friends – Riku and Kairi.

And he loved them so much it _ached_.

Sora remembered the day he realized it in stark, crystal clarity; it was the day he took the photo that he would later use in his _Destiny_ gallery. He had been sixteen, on that glorious sunset day, the three of them having spent a rare moment of free time together at the play islands. He had brought his camera with him, as usual, and as he stared at them, ankle deep in the surf and laughing as they kicked water at each other, his fingers itched with the familiar urge to capture them. The only way to keep them close.

A warm breeze brushed over them, and Riku and Kairi raised their arms to it, enjoying the feeling; the setting sun covered them in a way that turned them into silhouettes, bodies nothing but shadow as they faced the sun and sky with open arms, and Sora –

Quickly, he lifted his camera to his face and took a picture, not wanting to lose this moment of the two most important people in his life, the two people he loved _so much,_ sun drenched and gorgeous and –

Always, always out of his reach.

That’s when Sora remembered the ache starting – the pulse of longing that sank into his bones. And he didn’t know what to do, then.

He wanted to tell them; constantly, it felt like the words weighed his tongue down, always sat behind his teeth, ready to spill out – but he couldn’t. He wasn’t sure how.

And as time passed, and their graduation crept closer and closer, that unsure feeling morphed into fear, the reminder of their eventual splitting up hanging like a millstone around his neck.

Sora wondered sometimes, if they could notice his feelings, if they could feel it in the compliments he gave them, or in the gifts and trinkets he would hand over, random items that made him think of them. Sometimes he hoped they knew. Other times the thought of it made his breath catch in his chest.

It wasn’t possible, it – it wouldn’t work.

Riku and Kairi, they had big ambitions, big dreams – he always knew. They were always looking ahead, always moving forward, pushing to climb higher and higher, and that –

What room was there for him, in that? They were going to be the brightest stars, and he – he was nowhere near their league. The gossips thought so, too - that they're brilliant, and that Kairi was becoming a lovely young woman, and that eventually she'd have to choose.

In what universe would she - in what universe would _either_ of them want him?

Sora could deal with it, his hopeless heart, but there was still that fear; the fear that once they went their separate ways to college, they would grow apart to a point that they could never come together again – not like how they used to. Feared that he wouldn't even be able to keep hold of their friendship, and then they'd truly leave him behind.

Those fears spilled out of him, on their last day together, and Riku and Kairi did their best to calm his fears – the ones that they knew of, anyway. He could still feel their hands, hooked on the bracelets they made for him, and when Sora looked down at the beads on his wrist, fiddling with the paopu charm, he felt – like a _fool._

He wished he put better intent into the bracelets he made for them, all those years ago; his wishes feel so stupid now, so damn small, compared to this _ache._

 _Please don’t forget me,_ it howled, _please don’t leave me behind. Please, please love me, too._

There was no point in it, now. _What a waste of a wish,_ he bitterly thought to himself.

It was easier, once he left – dealing with it.

College gave him a lot to keep him busy, assignments and internships keeping him so occupied he didn’t have time to think about how homesick he was. Having Roxas around helped, too, lessened the feeling of loneliness with each passing year. He also still had that hope, then – that Riku and Kairi were right, and that they wouldn’t grow apart no matter how many years passed.

It was easy, during the first year. Then a little more difficult during the second year – but still manageable. But time passed, and they heard from each other less and less, and Sora, well –

He kept busy. He always, always kept busy.

He even tried to date, a couple times – a boyfriend for a couple years in college. A girlfriend a few years after that. Eventually, he just got too busy to try.

He barely even noticed the ache anymore – it almost felt like a barely forgotten dream. Everything was fine – he had his job at Heart to Hearth. He had his friends. He was _fine._ It was alright.

Of course he thought of Riku and Kairi, sometimes; thought to try and contact them through the years, to see how they’ve been. But if he was busy, they must have an even crazier workload – he didn’t want to get in the way of that. And he would put it off, and put it off, until one day he just stopped trying.

 _Things happen,_ he reasoned with himself, _people grow up and don’t talk anymore, sometimes. It is what it is._

It was easier to just… _forget._ To pack that ache away, reason it into silence with time past and years gone. To silence that painful irony of being the one to fulfill all his worst fears.

His bracelets started to weigh him down, reminding him of his wasted wishes and broken promises. Intent that he just couldn’t live up to.

One day, he stopped wearing them.

It had just been _easier,_ to tuck it all away.

But –

-o-

\- But now, that ache was returning with the vengeance of the ignored, and his bones throbbed in time with his aching heart, all his foolish feelings that had been tucked away dragged viciously into the open.

His steps were heavy as he walked to the door of his apartment, and he slipped in with barely a sound, knowing that the door would be unlocked. He gave Roxas a key, after all.

And he was there, rising to his feet as Sora slipped inside, sliding his bag off his shoulders and letting it drop to the ground with a light ‘ _thump’_.

“Hey.” Roxas stepped forward, cautious, “Sora, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

Sora almost wanted to laugh, but he was sure that if he tried that now, something that wasn’t laughter would _definitely_ come out.

“I –” He started, but then he stopped, humming deep in his chest. “I –” he tried again, but his voice caught in his throat, and he gave up with a sigh.

“Okay.” Roxas’ voice was soft, “do you want to sit down?”

He nodded, but instead of moving to the couch, Sora stepped away from the door and into Roxas’ space. He bowed his head, pressing his forehead into the crook of Roxas’ neck, and took a moment to just – breathe. Try and keep it together.

Finally, he found his voice, “I guess…we have to talk about it now.”

“Yeah,” Roxas said quietly, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in tight, “I guess we do.”

Sora exhaled, and it was a wet, shaky sigh of tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sora, 16, realizing he's in love: I'm gonna put these feelings in a box. and then one day, I'll die.
> 
> ALRIGHT. we made it. we're here. I hope this uhhhhh, hits. I didn't plan it to go down this way but I feel pretty good about it! idk what else to say 'cause it's past midnight and I'm beat. I've had a, hmm...difficult couple days, to say the least. so I hope y'all liked reading this as much as I liked writing it.
> 
> comments and kudos are always loved. until next time! have a good night!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello. uh. god, what do I say here.
> 
> the past two weeks have been a fucking shitshow. I'm sure we've all seen the news. so I've been exhausted. but somehow I was able to find enough joy to be able to write again, so here I am.
> 
> I do hope that some happiness is obtained from this. writing it did help me feel a little better, so there's that!

“I just don’t know what to do,” Sora said thickly, swiping at his eyes as Roxas slowly rubbed his back. “I – I thought, you know – it’s been so _long_. Almost ten years, and I just – thought I moved past that. That I didn’t feel that way, anymore.”

After Roxas led Sora to the couch, they sat as he slowly, haltingly told Roxas the entire story in all its sad detail. He only ever told Roxas about it in bits and pieces, hinting at things or changing the subject, if he could pull it off. To talk about it fully now, bringing everything into the light…it hurt. Halfway through, the story was eventually interrupted by tears. He could feel his eyes welling up once again, and he sighed roughly. “I feel so _stupid!_ How could I still – after all these _years_ , I – I don’t get it!”

Roxas, who had been silent the entire time Sora told his story, made a soft noise, still rubbing his back. “Well…” he said slowly, “I guess it’s because you didn’t deal with it normally.”

“Huh?”

He sighed, but Sora could tell it was from amusement, “Sora, for someone so feelings smart, you sure are dumb as hell sometimes.”

“Hey!” His tears were forgotten as he bristled at Roxas’ words, “that’s mean, I – I handled it! I did the best I could!”

“You did,” Roxas agreed, “but not really looking at it isn’t really the best way to try and get over something, you know?”

“I know that _now_.” Sora looked down at his hands, “….it was a lot easier, when we were apart.” He admitted in a whisper, “when it was just me – I didn’t _have_ to think about it.”

Once they lost contact with each other, it was even easier to keep pushing ahead, like he’d left those feelings behind at the islands.

His eyes felt swollen from all his tears, and Sora winced as his head throbbed in time with his pulse. He hated crying; it always left him with such a headache, after.

“Sora…” Roxas’ hand slid away from his back as he leaned into the couch, crossing his arms across his chest. “Can I be honest with you?”

“I mean, I’ll be hurt if you aren’t.”

“I guess I’m just…confused about something.”

“Confused?” Sora wrung his hands together in his lap, “about…?”

“Why didn’t you just talk to them? Like, before.”

Sora looked up at Roxas, finding him staring at him, waiting for an answer. “I…said why, didn’t I?”

“Not _really_ …it wasn’t very clear, to me. Be a little more straightforward. How come you didn’t say anything?”

Roxas nudged him with his knee, encouraging, and Sora pressed his lips together, taking the time to find his words. “I guess…I didn’t tell them for a lot of reasons. I –”

He pressed a thumb against his lip, trying to remember clearly all those reasons he had, so long ago. They made so much sense to him, at the time. “We were so close to graduation,” Sora recalled, slowly, “and I…I knew that we would be splitting up, after that. Who knew when we’d get to really see each other again? Or – or if we’d be the same, around each other? Plus…”

Sora sighed softly, “plus, Riku and Kairi, they were – well, we were _all_ competitive in our own ways, when we were kids, but when it came to dance…they always pushed each other. I knew forever that they were going to be the best – that they were going to be amazing. And I’m not –”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Roxas cut in, voice quiet with warning, and Sora’s jaw clicked shut. “Sora. You don’t believe that, do you?”

He couldn’t find it in him to look Roxas in the eye, now. “They were both too good for me,” he whispered, “and everyone at home said so, I guess. There was always gossip – for _years_ , saying that, y’know, the usual stuff. That something would come between us as we got older, and that Kairi would have to, y’know – _choose._ And I guess she did.”

His voice was tight at the end, and Sora’s face screwed up as he pressed a hand over his eyes. “How could either of them ever want me? They’re just so amazing, you know? And I’m just – a coward, I guess. I thought I could just forget, and move on, and everything would be alright, but I haven’t. And they have. It’s too late for me.”

“Sora.”

Roxas’ hand was gentle as he pulled it away from his face, and Sora looked at him with watery blue eyes as he held onto his hand, waiting to see what he had to say.

“I don’t think it’s too late.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in, and Sora blinked rapidly, eyes impossibly wide. “…What?” He asked faintly, not sure if he heard the words clearly. “I – huh??”

Roxas laughed a little, lightly squeezing his hand, “I said it’s not too late for you. That maybe they haven’t moved on like you think.”

Sora couldn’t comprehend the words – didn’t understand what Roxas was getting at. “But, Roxas,” he said slowly, “they’ve been together for years. It’s pretty obvious to me that they’ve moved on.”

“It’s easy to think that when you haven’t been paying much attention.”

Now it just felt like Roxas was being mean, and Sora frowned at him, trying to pull his hand away. “If you’re just going to keep being like that, you can go – I can wallow just as well on my own.”

“ _Sora._ ” Now Roxas _really_ sounded amused, and wouldn’t let go of his hand, “I’m sorry! But listen, okay, I’m serious!”

“How the hell could they _not_ have moved on when they’ve been _dating_ for _years!!_ Years, Roxas!”

“Well,” he drew it out, looking like he’d been waiting to tell Sora this for _weeks_ , and Sora swatted at his arm with his free hand. “because as nice as Riku and Kairi have been, I’ve noticed they don’t like me all that much.”

 _That_ stopped him short, and Sora blinked rapidly at him, concerned. “Th-they don’t?? Why?? Do I need to talk to them? Have they said anything mean to you??”

He loved Riku and Kairi, probably always would, but Roxas was his friend, too – his _best_ friend – and a surge of protectiveness filled him on his behalf.

Roxas chuckled, the sound fond, “they don’t like me because I have _you._ Or at least they think I do.”

“Have -?”

“They don’t like me because they’ve been under the impression that we’ve been dating for _weeks._ ”

Sora’s thoughts dissolved into static, and all he could do for a moment was gape at Roxas, wide eyed as he nodded solemnly.

“I –” He eventually sputtered, “I – what?? _What?!_ They – _dating??_ You?? And _me??_ How!!”

“We are kind of touchy-feely,” Roxas explained, lifting their joined hands.

“So?? What’s wrong with that?? We’ve been like that since college!! That’s just how we are!!”

“And you literally told them I’m ‘your better half’.”

“Xion started that!!” Sora practically wailed, “it’s not like she was _wrong._ I didn’t know that they’d interpret it _that_ way!!”

“What other way could they interpret that??” Roxas demanded, his eyes full of laughter at his expense, “how else could that be taken??”

“Is that –” Sora felt dizzy at how quickly the pieces of the last few weeks were falling into place, “is that why Riku was looking so weird during the festival?? And why Kairi – oh my god.”

He glared daggers at Roxas, “and that _picture!!_ You and Xion knew! This _whole time._ And you’ve been messing with them! That’s what you meant, oh my god!”

Roxas couldn’t hold it back anymore at this point, and burst into laughter, clutching at his stomach as he curled into himself, rubbing an absent, comforting thumb across Sora’s knuckles as he fumed.

“I’m sorry,” he wheezed, “but fucking with them has been so _fun._ Xion was able to get Naminè on it, and she tells Xion whenever she’s with Riku, or Kairi, so we can poke at them a little. They always whine to Naminè about it, apparently, and that’s just – it’s genuinely hilarious.”

“How long has this been going on, you sneaks!!”

“Not _long_ ,” Roxas hedged, avoiding his eyes, “just, you know, after the festival.”

Weeks. This has been happening for _weeks._ Sora felt lightheaded, and a pressed a hand to his forehead, overwhelmed. “Oh my god,” he said, faint, “they asked me to stay with them and watch them practice –”

“Aww, they wanted to dance just for you –”

“– and I told Riku and Kairi that you were coming over tonight.” He continued, ignoring Roxas in his despair. “Oh my god.”

Roxas looked downright _gleeful_ at that. “They probably think we’re –”

“ _Don’t say it!!_ ” He cried, “I _know_ what they think we’re doing!!”

Sora looked over at him with pained eyes, “I’m so _embarrassed – why_ did you two do all this? What for?”

Roxas casually shrugged, like this was _no big deal,_ “it’s like what Xion said – you’re our friend. We’re kinda protective of you. I wanted to make sure they were good enough for you; I mean, that’s what I told Riku at the festival.”

He felt his heart swoop into his toes. “You _told -?_ ”

“I didn’t tell him anything about _that_ – not when you didn’t even know about it yourself. Just that – you know. We care about you. We – _I_ wanted to make sure that – that no matter what way they’re in your life, they’re being alright to you. Since you’re kinda my best friend and everything, you know how it is.”

Sora felt his heart melt at the stupid, ridiculous reminders that his friends cared about him, and beneath that fondness there was an itchy, hopeful feeling. “So all this just to say –”

“All this to say,” Roxas continued, holding out his other hand for Sora to place his into, “that I think you should be a little brave.”

Biting at his lip, Sora stared down at their joined hands, “but I don’t know if I can. It’s been so long.”

“Of course you can,” Roxas said easily, “you got here, didn’t you?”

“But that was easy.” Sora protested, “I always knew I wanted to be a photographer –”

“Just because you knew what you wanted doesn’t mean that it was easy to get it. You worked hard to get here, you know. And if you want this – if you _really_ want to go for it – then you’re gonna have to work a little. You’re halfway there anyway, since your friends are kinda easy.”

“…But what do I do?” He asked, so incredibly lost. The hope filling his chest was too much to bear, almost making him want to hop to his feet and pace around the room.

“I can’t really help you there. You’ve gotta make that move on your own.”

Sora didn’t say anything for a minute, and then he leaned forward, resting his head against Roxas’ shoulder even though the position was uncomfortable. He’s been through a wild variation of emotions in a short amount of time, and he felt so drained. But he was grateful, too, to have such a good friend by his side.

“You helped just enough, I think,” he said quietly, squeezing Roxas’ hands. “Thank you.”

He heard Roxas snort quietly, “it’s not like Xion just calls me your better half for fun.”

-o-

Seeing Riku and Kairi again the next day was _weird._

Heading to work with these returned feelings still settling in his chest had sent a kick of panic in his chest, the morning he woke up; he was still finding his balance, and now he had to go to work and _see them._ Before he even felt _ready._

For a second, Sora thought about calling in sick. But he quickly stomped the idea down and got ready for the day.

He felt on edge the entire drive to the academy, and he sighed quietly when a quick glance around the large studio showed no sign of them yet – he had a little more time to prepare himself.

“You gonna be okay?” Xion asked as he settled himself onto his usual spot on the floor, “you were looking kinda rough last night, when we left.”

“Yeah.” He smiled at her, reassuring, “I’m doing a lot better today! Sort of. Roxas and I talked about it.”

“You gonna share?”

“Maybe later. Especially since you’re involved in part of it, you sneak.” Sora glared at her, pretending to be irritated, and Xion let out a shout of laughter. “So you finally figured it out??”

“I finally figured it out,” he confirmed, “now go get ready and maybe I’ll give you all the details on the drive home.”

Xion playfully stuck her tongue out at him before finding a place to set up across the room, and Sora pulled his bag close and soon lost himself in the process of preparing for the day. It felt almost meditative, to get his camera ready, to make sure the lens was properly cleaned and bring it to his eye for a test shot. As more of the dancers trickled into the room, Sora felt much calmer than he did when he first arrived for the day.

“Sora, good morning!”

His breath caught in his chest at Kairi’s voice calling his name, and he looked up shyly as Riku and Kairi took their usual spots beside him, trying to shake off the feeling that he was seeing them for the first time.

It was ridiculous – it’s not like they _looked_ any different, still wearing the same old exercise wear, tying their hair back in the same sloppy fashion as always, and yet here he was feeling like he was sixteen years old all over again.

Biting at the inside of his cheek, Sora fiercely reminded himself to _keep it together_ , before giving them a bright smile. “Good morning! Sleep okay?”

“Oh yes. Did –” Kairi hesitated, then, and he could see Riku turn to look at them at the edges of his vision. “Did you have a…nice night? You said Roxas was coming over, so –”

“Oh!” Unbidden, Roxas’ voice echoed in his ear: _they don’t like me because I have_ you.

Well - they _think_ he does.

Heat spread across his cheeks, making him feel itchy, and Sora nervously fiddled with the strap of his camera, “oh, yeah! I needed to talk to him about something, so he came over after work. Aah, I feel bad, though, ‘cause we ended up talking longer than I expected.”

“So you just…talked?” Kairi’s voice was too casual, and Sora put on his best confused face, “yes? What else would we be doing?”

Her eyes drifted away from his face, and Sora could just _feel_ the silent conversation she was having with Riku. It felt like they wanted to ask him something, so after putting his camera down, he leaned back on his hands and decided to wait and see.

Riku decided to be the one to take the plunge, coughing awkwardly to get his attention. “Sora, uh…I’ve kinda been wondering this for a while, but are – are you and uh, Roxas, you know –”

“Are we what?” He cocked his head to the side, eyes widening curiously as he waited to see if Riku would say it outright. Riku nervously shifted in place, tugging at a loose lock of hair, “are you two…a thing? Together, I guess.”

 _Finally_. The tension in Sora’s muscles loosened at a chance to finally clear the air, and he laughed brightly in disbelief.

“To – oh! No! No, of course not!” Eyes locked on his lap, he twisted his fingers together, nerves making him want to do _something_ with his hands. “Roxas, he’s – he’s my best friend,” he stated confidently, “we’ve been close since college, and sometimes people just…assume.”

“So you’re not…together like that?” Kairi asked, and Sora shook his head. “I love Roxas a lot,” he said firmly, “but we’re definitely not dating. I think I’d know if I were dating someone!”

The air around them seemed to _lighten_ , after that, and Sora found the courage to lift his head and look at them, ignoring how his dumb, stupid heart kicked in his chest, because _really._

Ridiculous.

They looked the same as always, of course they did, though they did seem to appear more – _relaxed_ , some tension that hung around their eyes gone. Kairi leaned into his space, eyes impossibly bright, and the ache in his chest reminded Sora of that unbelievable, impossible hope Roxas gave him. “Sora,” she breathed, “can I ask you something? We –”

Kairi’s words were cut off by a sharp clap that echoed across the room. “Alright, everyone!” Aqua called out, “let’s begin! In your places, please, you know the drill!”

Sora heard Riku mutter a curse under his breath, and he blinked as he adjusted to the feeling of a bubble popping around them, pushing them back into the world. Had time really passed so quickly?

Kairi looked so disappointed as Riku pulled her to her feet, and Sora couldn’t help but smile up at them, helpless. He must be obvious.

“It’s alright. Just ask me your question later, okay?”

“Okay,” she mumbled, a disgruntled frown on her face as she stretched her arms overhead. “Let’s go work, I guess.”

Kairi huffed off to the barre, and Sora rose to his feet and placed a hand on Riku’s arm before he turned away, laughing at the annoyed tilt of his mouth. “Don’t you pout, too. Just ask me later, like I said! It’s not that big a question, is it?”

“Yes,” Riku said lowly, leaning in a little closer to him, and Sora’s heart skipped in his chest. He looked up at Riku, taking care to not let his nerves show on his face, and took a moment to just – look at him. Over his sloppily tied back hair and ratty exercise clothes and bright, turquoise eyes looking at him – always, always looking at him.

Huffing out a soft laugh through his nose, Sora gave Riku’s arm a squeeze and then stepped away, “okay. I can’t wait, then. Now go to work, before I get you in trouble.”

The – the _something_ in Riku’s eyes intensified, but the annoyance was gone from his face as he turned away and moved to the barre with the rest of the dancers.

Finally on his own, Sora clutched at his camera with shaky fingers and tried to pull himself together.

Ridiculous.

-o-

“Alright, Sora, Xion – last week before showtime. Everything still going well?”

“It’s going _great,_ ” Xion said, “though I have to watch Sora flirt every day, which is agony.”

All eyes at their usual brunch table turned to him, and Sora shot daggers at Xion before taking a long, collected sip of his drink.

“It’s not _flirting_ ,” Sora finally said, like the liar he is, and Xion rolled her eyes. “And that’s not what Ven asked about, anyway –”

“No, no, go ahead, Xion,” Ventus interrupted, amused, because he loved Sora's misery. “I want to hear more about this. Is it his friends, the ones in the ballet?”

“Sora??” Vanitas said incredulously, “flirting?? On the _job??_ That doesn’t sound like you. I didn’t even know you were _capable_ of flirting.”

“That’s hilarious, coming from you! All these years I’ve known you and I’m pretty sure at this point flirting isn’t even in your vocabulary.”

“Vanitas, shut up,” Roxas cut in just as he opened his mouth, insulted, “I’m especially invested in this because I’ve been around it longer than any of you, and also I’ve been fucking with his friends for weeks. Sora. Be honest with me here.”

Nervous at all the eyes on him, Sora shifted in his seat, agitated. “Aren’t we supposed to be talking about work?” He asked, plucking a melon from the small bowl of fruit on their table and biting into it, “isn’t that what we come here to do?”

“No, we’re here to check in on each other, because we’re friends, and this is what you turned brunch into.” Roxas said, relentless, “isn’t that what you said Heart Squad Brunch was all about?”

Damn. Caught.

Sora stubbornly grabbed another piece of fruit – a strawberry this time – but Roxas wouldn’t leave it alone.

“Admit it, Sora,” he pressed, poking at his ribs, “tell me now. I want results. Tell me the truth.”

“Alright, okay!! Just stop it, stop poking!!” Slapping his hand away, Sora looked at all the eyes on him and tapped his fork nervously against his plate. “So there maybe… _kinda_ has been some flirting. I guess.”

Triumphant, Xion slapped a hand against the surface of the table, causing the dishes to rattle and turning a few heads their way. “ _Thank you!!_ ”

“I am so proud,” Roxas said wiping a fake tear away, “our little Sora, out to get himself a man. And a woman.”

“We’re the _same age._ ”

Vanitas whistled, and Sora buried his face in his hands. “Both of them? Ambitious of you, isn’t it?”

“Oh, no,” Xion waved a hand, “they’re easy; they’ve been looking at him like they want to eat him for the last few weeks when he’s not paying attention, so it’s only a matter of time.”

“ _Please_ stop embarrassing me.” Sora begged into his hands, “there’s no way that –”

“No. Nope. Don’t even finish that sentence, I’ll be insulted.” Xion took a sip from her coffee, “they’re definitely into you, trust me.”

“Do you know how you’re gonna tell them yet?” Roxas asked, and Sora shrugged, pulling his hands away from his face. “Kind of…but I’m a little unsure on it, so I’m going to talk to my mom about it when I call home tonight.”

“It’s good to have an idea,” Ven said kindly, cupping his chin in his hand. “We are glad for you, Sora. It’s all very sweet, seeing something come out of this.”

“Probably be good for him to put himself out there,” Vanitas added, leaning back in his chair, “I haven’t seen you try and date since you joined up with us.”

That’s the highest approval he’d probably ever get from Vanitas about his love life, and Sora felt oddly touched. He really was lucky, to be able to work with people that cared about him so much.

“Thanks, guys.” He smiled at them all, a little, shy thing, “I’ll keep you posted, I guess.”

“Uh, _yeah_ you will,” Xion said, “ _now_ we can talk about them moving rehearsals to the theater –”

Sora was able to relax a little more, now that the focus wasn’t on him anymore, and was relieved that the rest of their brunch date went without any other interruptions.

It was looking to be an uneventful Sunday at home, with Riku and Kairi opting to rest for the weekend before their last week of practice. The practice sessions for the rest of the week were tougher than Sora expected, especially after the practically perfect run through they had on Wednesday. Because of that, whatever question Riku and Kairi had for him fell to the wayside, slipped from their minds after grueling hours of practice.

He would be lying if he said that he wasn’t disappointed, but it’s not like they’re never seeing each other again; he’ll hear what they wanted to tell him eventually.

Until then, he’d do his chores. It was getting warmer, now, and his apartment needed a good scrub down, anyway, to air it out. So he spends the day doing the dishes, cleaning his bedroom, sorting out his laundry – he moves to cleaning the kitchen, the living room, working until his home was full of the gold light of sunset and it was time for dinner.

After a quick dinner of reheated leftovers, Sora curls up on the couch and calls his mother.

“Hello, sweetheart,” she says when she answers, voice warm, “how’s things?”

“Hi, mama – everything’s going alright. I didn’t really go out or anything, after my usual brunch date, so I spent the day cleaning up.”

“Always moving,” his mother said, amused, “you need to take a vacation, some time.”

“I know. Maybe someday.” He laughed, but then he paused, hesitating. “Hey, mom?”

“Yes?”

“I was wondering…do you remember those bracelets you taught us to make, when we were kids?”

His mother hummed with recall, “those friendship bracelets? Oh, yes – you three never took them off, after that. Why do you ask?”

“Do you think you could teach me how to make them again? It’s been a while, and I don’t want to screw it up.”

“Did you lose the ones you made before?” Sora heard the shift and rustle of fabric as his mother moved around, “those were practically glued to your arm.”

“No, I –” Sheepish, he scratched his head, even though his mother couldn’t see his bashful expression, “I want to make these bracelets for a different reason.”

“Oh!” She sounded surprised, and Sora covered his face with his hand. “Sora! Is this for what I think it is?”

“ _Maybe_ ,” he hedged, “I dunno. What do you think it is?”

“Don’t you try and dance around this with me, young man.”

He winced a little at her tone, “I _may_ want to make these bracelets for…romantic reasons.”

“ _Sora._ ” His mother sounded _so_ happy that he shoved his face into a pillow, “that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you – will we get to meet them?”

And there it was.

He knew the question was coming, but that didn’t stop him from wincing anyway. His heart squeezed in his chest, and he felt his words stick in his throat. Sora didn’t think his mother would _disapprove,_ per say, but – would she understand? His parents knew he liked men and women and such, took all of that in stride…but would they be alright with this?

Only one way to find out.

 _Gotta be a little brave._ Sora inhaled deeply, and let it out in a slow, quiet sigh. “Well, that’s the thing,” he said, and he was proud that his voice didn’t shake, “you’ve kinda – met them already. Known them forever, actually.”

His mother fell silent as she thought on his words, and the quiet wasn’t doing any favors for his stress levels. But he waited nonetheless and bit his lip when his mother let out a sharp gasp of realization. “Sora –”

“I know,” he cut in, “I just…I’ve loved them for a really long time.”

He laughed helplessly as the words tumbled out of him, “I thought, you know – I’d moved on from it, once we split up and went to different schools but – but I see them again, and I realized that I hadn’t moved on at all, and it’s like I’m sixteen all over again.

“I don’t even know if it’s going to work out for me, but I – I should probably try, right?”

It was quiet, between them, their breathing the only sound filling the space, until his mother laughed softly. “You have so much bravery, sweetheart, to constantly try and follow your heart – you must get that from me.”

Sora relaxed a little at the sound of his mother’s laughter, “so…you’re not mad? You’re not upset?”

“Honey, why would I be upset? You’re a grown man. And honestly, with you three…” she sighed, “it makes sense. Somehow, with you three, it makes sense. I’ll help you make the bracelets – of course I will.”

He wanted to _cry_ , he was so relieved, to have his mother’s blessing and help. “ _Thank you,_ mama – I promise, I’ll buy you the best chocolates Radiant Garden has for your help!”

“My, you spoil me,” she laughed, “we haven’t even gotten started, yet; I’ll give you the instructions, so make sure – ah, Aouli! Sora, would you like to say hello to your father?”

“Oh, yeah!”

The conversation quickly got derailed after that, but Sora felt like he was floating on air the entire time, glad to have his mother’s help and support. He hoped that these bracelets would work out in his favor, that Riku and Kairi would understand what he was trying to say.

He felt more hopeful than ever, and even though he was still so scared, he had to keep reminding himself that it wouldn’t hurt to just – try. Everyone’s encouragement told him that he had _some_ kind of chance, so –

How bad could it be?

-o-

Sora felt like he was going to be sick.

“I don’t know what to wear!” He whined, “what the hell are you supposed to wear to a ballet show? A suit?? I don’t own a suit!!”

The last week of practice had passed uneventfully; Monday morning Sora and Xion met up and made their way to where the last week of practice would be held – the Gainsborough Theater. It was an incredibly gorgeous building, lined with rich red carpet and sparkling chandeliers, the main arena containing a large stage surrounded by hundreds of seats. It was overwhelming, and Sora couldn’t help but take a few pictures of the architecture, when they first arrived.

Soon after that, the dancers began to arrive, and Sora watched them go through the hardest week of practice he had ever seen.

He thought some of the practice days in the academy were tough, but apparently that was nothing compared to the week before showtime; Aqua and Terra were _ruthless_ , pushing for nothing but perfect run-throughs each time. And though the dancers were exhausted at the end of each day, they looked exhilarated, expressions sharp and focused during each practice session.

Sora thought that he wouldn’t be able to get any new pictures until showtime, expecting the same stuff from the academy; but the energy they had in the theater was so _different_ – sharp and focused, honed like a blade – that he was taking pictures before he even thought about it.

He didn’t get to talk to Riku and Kairi as much as he used to, only able to have a quick chat in the mornings before practice ran them into the ground – but that was alright; that meant he got home faster each day to prepare his surprise.

After talking with his mother and receiving her instructions, he quickly went to the store the next day after work and gathered his supplies. And each day since, he followed his mother’s instructions to the letter and slowly put together new bracelets for Riku and Kairi. He used smaller beads this time, to make them a little thinner, not trying to make them as chunky as the ones they had when they were young. And as he strung them together, he put in every hope and wish and want he ever had, all the feelings that he thought were so hopeless when he was sixteen.

For the charm, he wanted to use a paopu fruit, like the ones they had on the other bracelets, but he couldn’t find any, and could bear to take the ones from his other bracelets. In the end, he had to settle for small, golden stars instead; he hoped they would still understand what he meant.

It didn’t feel like it took that long, but when he looked up, the week was over – and it was opening night.

And now he was here, sick to his stomach and full to the brim with nerves because he _didn’t know what to wear_.

Sitting on his bed, Roxas and Xion watched him as he paced across his room in his underwear, matching amused looks on their faces at his panic. “I’m sure you have something,” Xion sighed, hopping off the bed and brushing off the skirt of her red dress before heading to his closet, “go sit down, let me look.”

She thumbed through the hangers, humming under her breath as Sora slumped onto his mattress, whining in distress as Roxas laughed at his plight. “I just want to look nice!!” he cried out, “I want to make a good impression! This is basically our last day on the job!”

“I know, and thank god for that,” Xion said, pulling a couple things out of the closet, “here, put these on.”

She shoved the items at him – a silky short sleeved button up that matched his eyes and black pants – and Sora looked up at her, unsure. “Are you sure this will look nice?”

The lift of her eyebrow screamed ‘ _who do you think I am?’_ , and that was message enough for him to quickly get dressed. Roxas rose to his feet once he was dressed, standing with Xion as she looked over him with a critical eye. He wasn’t dressed too fancy, either, only wearing a white button up and a red tie with dark jeans, so his outfit probably isn’t too far off. All the employees of Heart to Hearth had been invited to opening night, so Ventus and Vanitas had gone ahead while Xion and Roxas were here, giving him fashion advice and moral support.

Tapping at her chin, Xion looked him up and down before turning back to his closet, rummaging around until she made a triumphant sound, turning around with a silver tie clutched in her fist. She quickly looped the tie around his neck and knotted it snugly at his throat, and once satisfied with her work, Xion stepped back with a nod. “You’re ready.”

“You sure?” Sora’s fingers itched to tug at his collar, but he refrained, “this looks okay?? This is good enough for a ballet, right, we’re not gonna get weird looks -”

“ _You’re ready_.” Xion stressed, snatching up her camera bag, “now come on – they’ll have our ass if we’re late. Or Vanitas will, at least, for making them look bad. ”

She flounced out the room, shouldering her bag, but Sora and Roxas lingered behind for a moment. “Got those bracelets?” Roxas asked, tucking his hands into his pockets, and Sora nodded. “Yeah, I put them in my camera bag last night after I finished.”

“Feeling nervous?”

Sora let out a burst of laughter, “how could I _not_ be nervous?? I’m so nervous I think I’m gonna explode!”

“I think it’s going to be fine,” Roxas said bracingly, and Sora rolled his eyes. “How is it that _you’re_ the one looking on the bright side right now?”

“That gigantic positive attitude you always have must have rubbed off on me in college. I guess I rubbed off on you, too, since you’re being a huge pessimist right now.”

“I’m _not,_ I’m just –” he cut himself off, nervous fingers itching to pluck at his shirt. “I’m just scared.”

“Roxas, Sora,” Xion’s voice drifted to them, “if you don’t hurry up, I’m leaving you two behind!! Grab your jackets and let’s go!!”

“Don’t be so scared,” Roxas reassured him as they left his room, “just try and enjoy the show.”

“I have to take pictures, so I can’t enjoy it _too_ much.”

“I’m taking your keys!” Xion called out again, the jingle of keys cementing the promise of her threat, and the two quickly hustled out of the room.

The drive to the theater was quiet; Xion decided to ride along with Roxas, so Sora was driving on his own. Usually the drive would settle his nerves, but once he caught sight of the theater, he could barely hear the radio over his rapid heartbeat and sighed raggedly as he parked his car. Sora could see a steady flock of people were heading into the theater, and he felt nervous even though he wasn’t the one about to be on stage.

Xion and Roxas were waiting for him on the sidewalk as he got out the car, grabbing his camera bag and sliding it over his shoulder.

“This is it!” Xion said brightly as they walked into the theater, “last day! Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I think. Got your portfolio set?”

“Yeah, it’ll be good to go after tonight; I’ll send mine out to the Times tomorrow.”

The seats in the main arena were filling quickly as they entered, the air full of the murmuring layers of voices, preparing to see the show. After saying their goodbyes to Roxas, Sora and Xion quickly left him to find Ventus and Vanitas and made their way backstage.

“Okay, so we’re swapping between acts,” Sora reminded her, “I’ll be backstage for the first part, and then we’ll swap for the floor –”

“Yep, I remember,” Xion nodded, “don’t worry too much. We’ve got this!”

“I feel like our places switched from when we first started here,” Sora noticed, amused, and Xion gave him a smile. “That’s because you’re worrying for completely different reasons.”

At the reminder of what he was about to do, Sora felt the flush spread across his cheeks, and he plucked at the strap of his bag for something to do with his hands.

“Alright, I wanna find Naminè before we have to set up, so –”

She extended her hand, and Sora grabbed on, squeezing her hand as she grinned at him. “Good luck, Sora. And enjoy the show! I’ll see you after act one.”

With that, her hand slipped away from his, and she slipped further backstage, where Sora knew the dressing rooms were for the dancers, out of his sight.

He didn’t feel like heading back there, so instead, he slowly began to prepare, crouching down and going through the motions of putting his camera together. He took his time with it, soaking in each step of the process, because this would be the last time he would have to do this; after tonight, his job with the Radiant Garden Ballet would be over.

It felt bittersweet; he liked Terra and Aqua and enjoyed being around such a lively group of people every day, watching them work to bring art to life with their bodies. He would miss seeing them every day, but he had to remind himself that just because this job was over doesn’t mean that he’d never see any of them again.

He took a few test shots to warm up – capturing the way the dust motes swirled in the light overhead, the stretch of empty stage before him and the seats full and waiting. As he lowered his camera, he felt a tingle on the back of his neck, letting him know that he was being watched. Sora couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, and he placed his camera around his neck as he turned around to face Riku and Kairi.

“Hey, guys,” he said warmly, unable to resist the urge to move into their orbit, “feeling nervous?”

“Nothing we haven’t dealt with before,” Riku said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear. “But still…even though we’ve been doing this for a while, the nerves never really go away, huh?”

“Oh, no,” Kairi said brightly, “I’ve felt like puking all day. But I’m excited, too! This is going to be fun!”

“Is it almost time?”

“Just a few minutes, now,” Kairi nodded, “Terra and Aqua just gave us the pre-show pep talk, and everyone’s finishing last touches to outfits and such.”

The costumes for the show were extremely simplistic, with all the dancers wearing simple white clothing, the cut and style of each dancer’s outfit unique in their own way. As Kairi tugged at the skirt of her dress and Riku adjusted his shoes, Sora remembered what he had waiting for them in his bag.

“Oh!” He startled them with his outburst, but Sora didn’t notice, striding towards his bag to dig around for the bracelets. “Guys, I have something for you! Hold on –”

He hopped to his feet as soon as he found the bracelets, hiding them by clutching them to his chest as he moved back to them. “Okay – hold out your hand! One from each of you, please.”

“What is it? Is it something to eat?” Kairi asked, holding out her hand, “is it money?”

“Let’s hope it isn’t food,” Riku said, “seeing that we have to go on in like, two minutes.”

“Why on earth would it be food?” Sora asked, wrinkling his brows, “that’d be dumb. No, it’s – here –”

He grabbed Kairi’s hand first, quickly slipping the bracelet onto her wrist, and her quiet gasp hit his ears while he was placing his other bracelet on Riku. Both were stunned silent, hands hanging limply in the air, and Sora grabbed onto them, pulling them close.

“I’ve been working on them all week,” he said quietly, pleased at how the colors he picked for the beads worked well with their skin. “I wanted to surprise you before the show started. My mom helped and everything, since it’s been a while since I made one of these.”

They were still looking a little stunned, but they were holding onto his hand – that was something. “I decided to make you different ones because, well – we’re different now, aren’t we? But it’s a good difference, I think.”

He knew he was running out of time before they had to go onstage, and Sora rubbed a thumb across their knuckles absently. “I know you wanted to tell me something last week, but, well – I have something I want to ask you,” he said, rushed, “I know I don’t have time, now, so – so, um –”

_Something_ must have possessed him then – bravery, stupidity, _insanity_ – because Sora recklessly jumped in feet first and pulled Riku’s hand to his mouth to brush the lightest kiss across his knuckles before doing the same to Kairi.

The smile that he gave them was shaky but genuine as he looked at their wide eyes, “good luck out there, okay? Do your best, so we can talk, after.”

“…Well,” Kairi said, her voice an octave higher, “how am I supposed to focus now??”

“Sora, that’s _mean,_ ” Riku said lowly. “Now I just want to ditch the entire show, and I _can’t._ ”

“Of course you can’t,” Sora chided, finally letting go of their hands, “I need to get pictures! You’re going to be in the papers! Just think of it as, um – motivation! Besides…”

He grinned at them, cheeky, “I haven’t seen you two dance in a show since we were kids – I wanna see what you two can do, now.”

The rest of the dancers were coming in, now, pressing in close to them as they waited for the lights to dim, but Sora barely noticed; he felt like he was wrapped up in a whole different world, Riku and Kairi getting all his focus. He watched Kairi fiddle with her bracelet and felt something warm and gooey melt in his chest as he watched her eyes soften over the golden charm.

“We’ll try to impress,” Riku said softly as the lights turned down, the buzzing of the audience falling into a piercing silence – it was time to go. “But Sora –”

Riku stepped impossibly closer, and Sora craned his head up to look at him. “Don’t forget, okay?” he said quietly, “your question – we’ll be waiting.”

“…Yeah,” he finally said as the music began to play, “I won’t forget. I’ll tell you after, I promise.”

One by one, the dancers ran out onto the stage, already in motion, and Sora held onto Riku and Kairi’s gaze until it was time for them to depart, running onto the stage into the spotlight with the rest of them. His hands still held some of their warmth, and for the first time in days, Sora didn’t feel nervous at all.

Pulling his camera from his neck, Sora quietly moved into the shadows of the stage and got to work for the last time, bringing his camera up to capture them, photo after photo after photo.

-o-

After the last act ended with loud ringing applause, and the dancers stepped onto the stage for curtain call, Sora quietly left the theater.

He knew he had to move fast, before the theater emptied out and traffic became unmanageable, so he quickly checked in with his friends to let them know he was leaving, and then slipped away to his car.

The final product of the Radiant Garden Ballet’s hard work was incredible; even while taking photos, moving around the arena to catch them at different angles, Sora would find himself pausing for a moment, transfixed. It was truly a beautiful show, each part seamlessly moving into each other, even though it had such an ambiguous end every time.

When the pas de deux came, this time Sora was prepared, though he couldn’t help but get swept up into it all the same. At least this time he remembered to take pictures, even though all he wanted to do was stare at them with all the love in his heart.

There was no longer an ache of longing, whenever he looked at them here, no hopelessness; he loved them, and that was alright. And maybe –

Maybe.

He’d find out; he _did_ have a question to ask.

First, he needed to make a stop at his apartment.

A few days before the show, Sora put in an order at the local florists for two bouquets; he worried when picking them up the day before that they would look a little sad by the time he needed them, but when he entered his apartment and flicked the light on in his kitchen, they still look as fresh as the day he picked them up. His shoulders drooped in relief as he sighed loudly, quickly placing his camera bag on the couch before returning to the kitchen.

Sora tugged his tie off and carelessly tossed it on the table as he looked over the flowers, the paper wrapped around them crinkling loudly as he picked one up. The heady scent of roses washed over him, and he bit his lip; red roses were a little cheesy, but it was romantic, right? Hopefully they’d like it. He ran a thumb across one soft petal before placing the bouquet back and heading to the bathroom.

He brushed his teeth. Washed his face, to wake himself up a little. Stared at his reflection for a moment before reaching up and plucking open the two buttons on his shirt, baring his throat so he could breathe a little easier.

“You can do it,” he whispered to himself, “it’s gonna be okay.”

Sora nodded at himself, resolute, and turned on his heel and marched out the bathroom. Scooping up his keys, he grabbed the flowers, turned off his lights, and headed to Riku and Kairi’s apartment.

They had to be there, now; the drive from the theater to his apartment took some time, and he dawdled long enough at his apartment that they _had_ to be home. And they were probably upset with him, he knew it – he just left without an explanation, no hint of where he’d gone.

But it would be fine – hopefully the flowers would make up for it.

He thought he would start feeling nervous again as he took the elevator to their floor, but he still had that veneer of calm covering him; this was the biggest risk he’d ever taken, and yet somehow, he wasn’t scared at all. Sora juggled the flowers in his arms, walking up to their door, and cradled them close with a quiet crinkle of paper as he freed up a hand to rap his knuckles against the wood.

It wasn’t long before the door cracked open, and Riku was there, his expression unreadable as he stared at him.

“…Hi,” he said after a moment of staring at each other in silence, “can I come in?”

Riku was still silent, but he opened the door a little wider, moving aside to let Sora in, and he smiled a little, relieved. “I’m sorry for just leaving without saying anything,” he said, wanting to fill the silence, “I had to grab something from my apartment, and I wanted to surprise you. Here!”

He held out one of the bouquets, overflowing with roses, “I got you flowers! I have one for Kairi, too, is she here -?”

“She’s in the shower,” Riku murmured, accepting the armful of flowers, and he stared at them with that same unreadable look in his eyes; his posture had softened some, though, and Sora knew that his absence was forgiven.

“Thank you, Sora,” Riku continued, brushing a finger over the blooms, “you…didn’t have to do that. This is nice.”

“What??” Sora frowned at him, “yes I did! You two worked really hard these past weeks. And, uh –”

Oh, _now_ the nerves decided to show up – no matter; Sora was determined. He would see this through.

“I also got you guys flowers for, you know – other reasons.”

“Other reasons,” Riku repeated, and Sora looked up at the sound of crinkling paper, watching as Riku put the flowers down. “What’s the other reason?”

“Well…” he wanted to fidget, wanted to twist his fingers together – but he was still holding Kairi’s flowers. He didn’t want to ruin them. “I…earlier, I said I wanted to ask you something. But honestly, I’m not really sure how to ask.”

He _still_ doesn’t know how to ask, so he does the next best thing – he spits it all out.

“I said earlier, when I gave you your bracelet, that – that we were different now, and I wanted to give you something for that. But it was also…because…because I was, well…I was kind of a coward, when we were younger, and this was me, um – dealing with it. Facing it.”

Sora averted his eyes, looking down at the flowers in his arms. “You two were always too good for me,” he whispered, “I thought so – everyone thought so. And when we split up, I thought it would be easier to - to just _move on_. But then I see you two again, after all this time, and I still feel like that dumb sixteen-year-old kid.

“And you and Kairi, you have each other now – so maybe, I dunno – maybe I am too late. But I figured, y’know, that I’d at least try and –”

“Sora.”

Riku sounded so amused, and when he looked up, he was just inches away, looking at him with a slight smile. Startled, he jerked back, his back colliding with the door, but Riku just stepped closer.

“You’re babbling,” he said, eyes warm, “what are you trying to say?”

Sora’s heart was racing, now, at how close Riku was, at the heat radiating off him, but he gave him a sharp look anyway, standing at his full height to let him know how serious he was. “I’m _trying_ to say,” he stressed, “that I –”

The words he’s wanted to say for _ages,_ for years and years and years – they were sitting there, weighing down his chest, clogging his throat, sticking behind his teeth, but he would get them out – he had to. He’s wanted to for so long.

“I’m trying to say that – that I like you. And Kairi. And that I’ve liked you two for a really, really long time – for _years_ – and if you don’t – if there’s any chance –”

The shuffle of paper as the flowers he was holding were removed from his hands broke Sora out of his panic before he could really get started, and he jumped at the weight that landed on his shoulder, Riku pressing his forehead into the crook of his neck. “Uh –”

“Can you say it again?”

“H-huh?”

“Can you say it again?” Riku asked, a little louder this time, and Sora’s hands itched to touch him. Slowly, hesitantly, he put his hands on his arms, and cleared his dry throat. “Riku,” he said clearly, without a hint of stuttering, “I like you so much. In the romantic way, if that wasn’t clear.”

He huffed a laugh into his skin, making Sora shiver, and when Riku lifted his head his eyes were so bright.

“I was going to tell you _and_ Kairi,” he scolded, even though his heart wasn’t entirely in it, “now I have to do this twice.”

“I’m sorry,” Riku said, not sounding the least bit sorry at all. “I have a question.”

“Okay?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Sora felt his heart make one ridiculously loud kick in his chest, and he blinked rapidly at the question, feeling like all the air had been snatched from his lungs. Riku stared at him, waiting patiently for his answer, though Sora definitely caught him sneaking a few glances at his mouth.

“Um. I – yes.”

“What was that?” Riku leaned in even closer, until their noses brushed, “you were kinda mumbling there, Sora. Wanna speak up?”

“I said _yes_ ,” he repeated, exasperated, and Riku pressed in to snatch the answer from his mouth. Sora was glad that he was leaning against the door, because his knees were definitely giving out a little, one of Riku’s arms quickly sneaking around his waist to hold him up. Absently, his hands slid up his arms, over his shoulders, and into his stupid, long hair, cradling the back of his head and pulling him in impossibly closer.

It was like every kiss he’d daydreamed about when he was younger, only a hundred times better, and Sora felt his thoughts dissolve into smoke as Riku kissed him deep, kissed him needy, like he’s wanted to do this _forever_ –

“ _Riku!!_ ”

Sora got a second to catch his breath as Riku pulled away, scrambling to get his thoughts together as they looked over at Kairi, standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips and glaring daggers at Riku.

“Hi, Kairi,” Sora said numbly, still stunned by the sensation of Riku’s teeth tugging on his lower lip, “I got you flowers.”

He tried to move to grab them, and that was when he noticed that he was pressed against the door, Riku’s arms hooked under his thighs as he held him up. _When did that even happen??_ He asked himself, just as Kairi spoke.

“You _knew_ ,” she started, “Riku, you _knew_ that I wanted to kiss Sora first!! You’re so unfair!!”

“You snooze, you lose,” Riku said, “that’s what you get, you and your long ass showers.”

Kairi scowled even further, violet eyes fiery, but Sora stopped the argument before it even started. “Riku,” he interrupted, “where’s Kairi’s flowers? I’ve gotta – I need to tell her –”

He was set down, and Sora quickly grabbed the flowers off the table by the front door, holding them out to her as soon as she was near enough. “I wanted to tell you two at the same time, but Riku was impatient. Kairi, I –”

“Sora, I –”

“I want to say it!” Sora continued, stubborn. “Kairi, I really like you! I always have, and I just – I really hope –”

Kairi’s ire at Riku was quickly forgotten as she scooped up the flowers Sora offered her. “Sora, yes! Of course I do, are you kidding?”

She pressed a hand to his cheek, and Sora felt like he could float away, he felt so happy. So _relieved._ “I can’t believe it,” he said, breathless,“I just can’t believe you two –”

“Don’t finish that thought,” Riku said, sneaking up behind Sora to wind his arms around his waist, “I can already tell it’s going to be a dumb one.”

“Sora, we obviously like you,” Kairi said, stepping closer, “I almost feel like we’ve liked you forever. Ever since we were young. We had no idea, but we talked about it all the time, and –” Sighing, she tilted her head, still looking over his face, “even when we had each other, we still wanted you with us, too.”

“Oh.” Sora whispered, and Kairi laughed, nodding. “Yeah, ‘oh’. Now, I was wondering –”

She fluttered her lashes at him as she stroked her thumb over his cheekbone, “does this mean I can have a kiss, too?”

“Y-yes. But – oh! We have to talk about this! Before we do, uh –” A flush spread across his face, and Kairi stared at it avidly, “– before we do anything else.”

“I only have energy for making out on the couch,” Riku said, “but I agree – we do need to talk about how this will work for us.”

Kairi nodded, still staring at him, and Sora nodded as well, “good. I’m glad. Besides –” he straightened up to his full height as best he could, what with Riku draped across his back, “I won’t put out until the third date, anyway. So you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you.”

“ _Do_ we,” Kairi said, her voice low, a wicked sparkle in her eye, and Sora decided it would be wise to give Kairi the kiss she wanted before she said something dirty. She laughed into his mouth, and Sora took the chance to deepen the kiss a little more until Kairi sighed and her hand slipped away from his cheek to grip at the collar of his shirt instead, pulling him closer.

“This would be much nicer on the couch,” Riku pointed out, and Kairi broke away to give him a glare.

“Don’t think I forgot you,” she warned him, “but you’re right. We can go make out on the couch.”

Sora expected them to let him go so they could move into the living room and sputtered with laughter as Kairi and Riku shuffled along with him still sandwiched between them. “We can walk to the couch like normal people, you know,” he said, just to remind them, and Riku let out a snort.

“We’ve been waiting forever to have you here like this,” he declared as Kairi pulled them onto the couch, “why would we let go of you now?”

Sora couldn’t stop the goofy smile that curled his lips even if he tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it! I had to work at it, but we got there in the end.
> 
> all that's left now is an epilogue, I think.
> 
> but right now, because of everything that's been going on, I want to say this:
> 
> black people, I love you. wholeheartedly. the past two weeks have been so hard, and even though I have no idea when, hopefully we'll see better days soon. I believe they're coming with all my heart. until then, if any of you you're out there protesting, stay safe. and if you can't protest, don't feel bad! I can't protest either, but there's other avenues out there to help and spread awareness.
> 
> idk how to link it on here, but if anyone is within the means to help, I do have some donation links to bail funds and gofundmes for the memorial funds of people wrongfully killed by police violence in the #blm and #donations tag on my blog. you can also either donate to the bail project, or your local chapter of the national lawyers guild, to help protestors obtain legal assistance!
> 
> take care of each other and yourselves. and for the love of god, don't let me see any more blm fics. because I'm tired.
> 
> anyway, that's my spiel. comments and kudos are always loved. thank you guys so much for all the comments so far! I have been re-reading them when I feel down.
> 
> until next time. stay safe out there.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!
> 
> here we are, at the end. I finally had enough free time to knock this out on grounds of today being my fuckin' birthday so here's a gift from me to you lmao.

Someone was kissing him.

Sora wrinkled his nose at the sensation – soft, deliberate presses from behind his ear trailing down to the curve of his shoulder. Groaning, he sleepily reached back to lightly pat whoever was doing it. “Cut it out,” he said, groggy, “I’m sleeping.”

“But Sora,” Riku said, amused “it’s time to wake up. It’s Sunday, remember?”

Sunday. Right.

He was pulled further into wakefulness as lips brushed against the side of his neck, and Riku was _such_ an asshole because he _knew_ by now that his neck was sensitive.

“I don’t want to go anymore,” Sora mumbled, prying his eyes open, “I want to sleep.”

Riku looked annoyingly handsome in the morning light streaming into the room, propping himself up on one elbow to stare at him, boxing him in. He’d reach up to touch him, but he was a little immobile at the moment by Kairi pinning him to the bed. He shifted a little in place, and Kairi sighed lightly in her sleep, eyelashes brushing against his cheek as she hitched the leg she threw over him higher on his hip.

“You promised,” Riku reminded him, “that you’d take us to your – what do you call it – ‘Heart Squad Brunch’ and introduce us properly to your friends once the show was over. And now it’s over. So we’re gonna collect.”

_Ahh…_ Sora sighed as he looked past Riku to the ceiling, recalling the promise he made – and it was fair to want to collect as soon as possible, since they went through a month of barely seeing each other. Their schedules had been jam-packed, with a show every weekend, their weeks spent practicing every other day to stay sharp. After opening night, Sora’s job with the Radiant Garden Ballet was over, and so he turned in his portfolio to the Radiant Times and went back to his usual work schedule at Heart to Hearth.

The past month has been spent on fleeting moments together, mostly through texts and phone calls, and as soon as the last show ended, Sora was waiting at their apartment, and they spent half the night kissing until his lips ached.

Sora was started to regret that choice now, his eyes still gritty with the need to _sleep._ “How are you so _awake_ right now?” He complained, and Riku rolled his eyes, leaning down to brush a kiss across his cheekbone.

“I’m used to it,” he said brightly, “now, time to wake up sleepyhead number two.”

Reaching across Sora, he grabbed Kairi’s hip and began to shake her lightly. “Kairi. Come on, Kairi, time to get up.”

“ _No,_ ” she moaned, shoving her head into Sora’s neck, “I just got to _sleep_.”

“Nope, it’s morning now – come on, the sun’s out and everything. Sora’s taking us to brunch, remember?”

“ _I don’t give a shit about brunch_ ,” Kairi hissed, “let me sleep.”

Riku let out a gusty sigh, rolling his eyes so hard Sora felt his ache in sympathy. “She’s like this every morning,” he mumbles under his breath, and Sora decided to try his hand at waking Kairi up, despite the fact he was doing his own complaining mere moments ago.

“Kairi…”

Wiggling a hand free from where Kairi had pinned it in her sleep, Sora ran a gentle hand down her back. “You’ve gotta get up,” he coaxed her, “you can take a nap when brunch is over, if you want.”

“Hmm…” Kairi pulled her head away from his neck, propping her chin on his chest to stare at him. “If I get up, do I get a kiss?”

“Sure!” Sora said easily, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. “I’ll kiss you as much as you want – but you have to brush your teeth first.” He also cut an eye up at Riku, who was still hovering over them with his chin propped in his hand, “you, too. No kissing for anyone until we brush our teeth.”

“Ugh, fine! Riku, come on!” Sora grunted as Kairi rolled off his chest, sliding off the bed and hopping to her feet. “The sooner we all brush our teeth, the sooner we can make out before going to brunch!!”

She flounced off to the bathroom, leaving Sora blinking rapidly at the ceiling, Riku snickering at his side. “She was dead tired like…a second ago?”

“She was like this when we were kids, too.” Riku reminded him, “it’s just been a while since you’ve been around it. Anyway – you heard the lady. Time to freshen up.” He threw back the covers, and Sora grumbled as Riku pulled him to his feet, tugging him a long as they trailed after Kairi into the bathroom.

An hour and plenty of kisses later, the three of them walked into Bastion Diner, Riku holding the door open as Kairi led the way, Sora’s hand wrapped up in hers. He scanned the room, automatically looking towards their usual table, but when he saw it was empty, he frowned. “Where -?”

“Soraaaa! Over here!”

He turned towards the sound of Xion’s voice and found her rising from her seat at a much larger table, waving him over.

“We had to move to a bigger table,” she explained as they got closer. “It’s about time you properly introduced everyone to your hot friends!”

“I know you know their names!!” Sora said in exasperation as they sat down, “you were around them for weeks! Anyway – Ventus, Vanitas, this is Riku and Kairi! We were friends, back at the islands and now – well, you know! Guys, you’ve already met Roxas and Xion.”

“We sure have,” Riku said, his tone dry, and Sora looked up to see Riku and Kairi staring hard at Roxas. His eyes bounced between them, concerned. “Uh, are you –?”

“ _Great_ seeing you two again,” Roxas said brightly, and Xion coughed a laugh into her fist. “How have you two been? I never got to tell you, but the show was incredible, thanks for inviting us.”

Sora’s eyes narrowed sharply as he saw Vanitas smother a laugh into his cup of coffee, Ventus hiding a grin behind his hand, and he was able to connect the dots rather quickly. “Oh my _god_ , you _told them_ ,” he exclaimed, and Vanitas wheezed another laugh into his cup. “Guys!!”

“You thought we’d keep them in the dark about messing with your friends?” Xion demanded, “are you kidding??”

Ventus gave in and started laughing as well. “You know I love a good prank, Sora!! _Yeah,_ I wanted to know – I’m amazed it took them so long to figure it out!”

Just as Sora started to wonder if maybe they _should_ have stayed in bed, Riku sputtered out a laugh. “This is ridiculous!!” He choked out, “I can’t believe we thought – Sora, your friends are ridiculous!”

He frowned. “Oh, so I guess you’ll fit in just fine, huh?” he said, and Riku pressed a hand to his chest, pretending to be hurt.

Kairi was still staring Roxas down, but her lips were twitching as she fought back a smile. “I do feel kinda silly now,” she admitted, finally relenting and leaning back in her chair, “but honestly can you _blame_ me? It was a hell of a performance; I respect a good ruse.”

Roxas snorted, “people have thought Sora and I have been a couple for years. It’s not like it was hard.”

“We _are_ pretty close,” Sora said, conceding, “I get how people would assume. But whatever – y’all have been introduced!! Did you order yet?”

“No, we were waiting for you…”

Sora found himself relaxing more and more as their food arrived and they slowly crawled through brunch; he was cautiously optimistic when he suggested bringing them to brunch, hoping that his friends would easily blend and get along, and to see it happening was such a relief.

“I didn’t know you two knew Terra and Aqua!!” Kairi was saying as he tuned back in, “that’s so nice! How long have you two known each other?”

“Ventus has known them longer than I have, since they’re his friends, but yeah –”

“Oh, don’t you start all that up again –”

“Hey, Roxas, I have a question –” Riku started, leaning around Sora to speak to him, and Sora grinned like an idiot down at his plate as Riku draped an arm across the back of his chair.

Yes, he thought, as the table rang with Kairi and Xion’s laughter, this was good – _more_ than good. Better than he ever hoped.

“-Earth to Sora!”

“Huh?” His head jerked up, whipped over to look at Xion, who was staring at him with an amused smile. “You were _daydreaming_ ,” she teased, and Sora felt his face heat up.

“I wasn’t!” He protested, “I was just _thinking_ , that, well…this is really nice. I’m just glad you got to meet each other and that you’re actually, uh…getting along.”

The air around the table seemed to soften at his words, and Sora rolled his eyes at the quiet ‘awww’ Ventus let out. “You’re such a sap,” Roxas said, but his tone was as fond as ever, so Sora wasn’t too offended.

“How was any of what I said _sappy??_ ”

“No, it was really sweet!” Kairi said, “I wanna give you a kiss, but you’re too far. Riku, give him a kiss for me.”

“You’re all ridiculous,” he grumbled, but tilted his cheek up in offering all the same, smiling lightly as Riku brushed a light kiss on his cheek, and then added another kiss for himself.

“I knew they’d be cute,” Xion said, taking a smug sip of her coffee and Vanitas snorted at her side. “Yeah, sweet enough that I already feel nauseous.”

“Hey!!”

“We’re just happy for you!” Ventus said brightly before turning his gaze over to Riku and Kairi. “Sora’s a good friend,” he said, “so we always hope that he’s treated well.”

“We know you three already have history or whatever,” Vanitas broke in, propping his elbows on the table, “but I think it’s still fair for us to make sure you’re taking care of the kid. Understood?”

“Oh, sure.” Riku laughed lightly, leaning back in his seat, “we hear you. We’re not trying to screw up just yet.”

“We _just_ started dating him,” Kairi added, “technically. We haven’t even gone on our first date yet! Like hell we’re gonna mess up before _that_.”

“No more threats,” Sora stressed, “this is getting silly! We _can_ talk about something other than my new relationship, didn’t you know?”

“But Soraaaa –” Xion started to whine, but he jabbed his fork in her direction. “No! I didn’t do it when you brought Naminè to brunch that one time!!”

“ _Yes_ you _did_ , you -!”

The table rang with laughter over their bickering, and Sora made sure the conversations strayed anywhere _but_ onto the topic of his love life. Kairi and Riku fit into the group as well as he’d hoped, keeping up with the ever-changing topics and throwing a few of their own jabs in from time to time.

All in all, he figured, a pretty successful brunch date.

When they finally parted for the day, Sora noticed that Kairi was starting to look a little disgruntled, and he had to bite back a smile.

“Kairi…” he started, knowing why she was suddenly so down, “I’ve gotta go home! It’s Sunday, you know I’ve got stuff to do. That’s why I had us drive here separately.”

“I know,” she sighed, crossing her arms, “but it’s been _ages_ since we last hung out!! I’ve missed being around you.”

“He could always come over again,” Riku offered, and Sora snorted loudly.

“ _I_ come over?? Why don’t you two come over for a change! You’ve barely been by since the show was happening. Besides, I’ve gotta do laundry and clean up my apartment – and call home!” He ticked the chores off his fingers as he spoke, and then propped his hands on his hips, “plus, I’m making dinner. So I guess you two can come by if you wanna eat.”

The two of them brightened up at the mention of him cooking. “We can come over for dinner? You mean it?”

“No, Kairi, I was just kidding – I’m gonna cook and it’s going to be all for me.”

“I saw that coming,” Riku said as Kairi pouted, and Sora rolled his eyes.

“Ask stupid questions –” he started, and Riku cut him off, “– get stupid answers, we know, we know. We’ll be there for dinner.”

“Good.” He reeled them in, pulling the two of them into a hug, and laughed as he received a kiss on both cheeks. “I’ll see you soon!”

His steps were light as he walked to his car, and a soft smile was stuck to his face as he quickly made his way home.

Sora felt a little silly, at being so eager to see them again – but he couldn’t help himself! He’s wanted this for so long – he wants to be with them all the time, now. The sooner he finished his Sunday chores, the sooner they’d see each other again.

-o-

“Sora?”

“Hey, dad.”

Sora tucked the phone in his shoulder as he tossed the salad he was making, idly checking to make sure the meat he just fried was properly covered.

“Hi! How’re you doing?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Just wrapping up on cooking; Riku and Kairi are coming over tonight.”

“They _are_ , huh?” His father’s tone turned teasing, and Sora made a face even though he couldn’t see it. “How’s that been going, anyway? Your mother told me about it a few weeks ago.”

“Aaah, well….” He sighed, wiping his hands on a dishtowel before heading to the living room and flopping back onto the couch. “It’s going fine, dad….as fine as it can be, really. We haven’t been able to see each other as much, since they had that show going on, and I went back to my usual schedule after opening night. We only saw each other again yesterday, and we went to brunch again today.”

“But you have some free time, now? After all this?”

“Well, they do, at least. I still have my usual work, back at Heart to Hearth.”

“You could always just _ask_ for some free time,” his father pointed out, “you work all the time! There’s no way you don’t have a little paid leave stocked up.”

“I guess…” Sora said slowly, hesitant. He doesn’t really take days off that much, so different from his laze about days as a child; whenever he’s on vacation, he never really knows what to _do_ with himself.

Sora didn’t want to think on it anymore, and decided to change the subject, “so – how’s mom doing? And Nalani?”

“Oh, they’re great! Nalani just wrapped up school recently, for the summer, so she’s antsy now that she doesn’t have anything to do. Junie was thinking about sending her to a camp, or something. She and Nalani are out on a walk, right now, to try and get some of that extra energy out of her system.”

He hummed, letting his father know he was still listening, “I mean, camp sounds alright – she’d probably have fun…”

Sora’s thoughts trailed off into silence, and he reclined further into his couch, lips pursed into a thin line. Unbidden, his sister’s voice echoed in his head, repeating the question she asked all those weeks ago: ‘ _you’re coming home soon, right? Summer vacation is coming and I wanna see you.’_

“…Hey dad,” he started hesitantly, “I was wondering…”

“Yeah?”

“Okay, so – _hypothetically speaking,_ if I were to maybe…try and take a couple weeks off…and sneak down there to surprise mom and Nalani…could you keep it secret?”

“Well,” his father said casually, but he could hear the slight tremble of happiness in his voice, “I suppose, since this is all hypothetical, I can keep a secret for this hypothetical trip you might be planning.”

A plan was slowly unfurling in his head, and Sora placed a hand over his mouth, feeling a smile helplessly curve against his palm. “Cool,” he said softly, “I’ll…I’ll try and get something together. But keep it secret!”

“I won’t tell a soul.” His father swore, “just keep me updated on your hypothetical plans. Now, listen – your mother and I finally saw your pictures from the Radiant Times –”

“ _Dad,_ you didn’t –”

“– of course I did! We ordered a copy of the paper just because of that! Your mother and I framed it with the rest of your work. Your pictures were incredible!”

“Some of them are Xion’s, too,” he mumbled, bashful but grinning all the same.

“I know, we put her pictures on the wall as well, with yours. She’s very good – make sure you let her know!”

“I will!” Sora laughed, “dad…thanks. It means a lot.”

“Bragging about you is never a trial,” his father said easily. “I’m proud of you, Sora. I always am.”

They talked until Sora heard knocking at his door, and he promised his father he’d call his mother later that evening before saying his goodbyes. Hopping to his feet, he quickly answered the door, beaming at Riku and Kairi waiting for him in the doorway.

“Hi!” he said brightly after accepting his kisses, shuffling aside to let them enter, “you’re right on time – all the food’s done and I just got off the phone with dad. He says hi, also.”

“Oh, I wish we made it on time to talk to him!” Kairi groaned, “I’ve missed Uncle Aouli – I haven’t seen him in ages!”

His loosely formed plan tickled at the back of his mind at her words, but Sora put it aside for now – he’d bring it up later. “He misses you, too! He said you two looked very nice in the papers.”

“The Radiant Times reaches that far?” Riku asked in surprise as they began to set up their plates, and Sora shook his head. “Oh, no – he ordered it special. Apparently, him and ma got it _framed_.”

“He _did??_ ” Kairi asked, delighted, and Sora nodded.

“Oh, yeah. He might’ve even given your parents copies.”

Riku groaned, a light flush spreading across his cheeks, “I really hope not; my moms don’t need another newspaper to hang on the wall, they have plenty enough already.”

“So that means he definitely did it, probably,” Kairi said, “you know your moms love bragging.”

Riku blew a loud, disgruntled raspberry, and Sora and Kairi laughed as they took a seat at the table to eat. The conversation around the table stayed light as they ate, nudging at each other’s ankles and calves as they picked at their plates.

He should probably ask them soon, Sora figured, because as soon as they finished eating they’d probably just want to spend the rest of the day together kissing on the couch.

“Hey guys,” he said as they put their plates in the sink to deal with later, “I’ve been thinking about something.”

“A Sora that’s been thinking is pretty dangerous,” Kairi said slyly, and he rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious. You said you two have some time off until you have to start rehearsing for your next show, right?”

“Yeah,” Riku answered, “about a few weeks, I think. Why?”

“I was wondering –” he grunted as Kairi pulled him down onto the couch, “– I was thinking about, well…taking some time off and going home for a while.”

“Oh!” Neither of them looked like they didn’t expect that, and Kairi blinked at him rapidly. “That’s…good?” she said hesitantly, and Sora rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to ask,” he said slowly, “if you two wanted to go back home with me.”

“I – we –” Riku started to sputter, but Sora sharply raised a finger, “don’t even try to lie and tell me that you can’t, because you _just told me_ that your schedule’s free for a few weeks.”

“Sora…” Kairi said hesitantly, “I don’t know…”

“I don’t see why not! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I’m sure your parents would be happy to actually see you in person after forever.”

“Your first date idea,” Riku said slowly, “is for us to go on _vacation?_ ”

Sora bristled, “this is not a _date_ ,” he stressed, “it’s just a vacation! You can take me on dates while we’re on vacation, if you wanna get your three dates in so badly.”

“Man, do we ever,” Riku muttered under his breath just as Kairi scoffed. “There’s no way there’s anything on Destiny Islands that’s a good date destination!”

“You don’t know that!” Sora shot back, “it’s been almost ten years since you’ve been home – lots of things are different, now. And you can _see for yourself_ if you come with me on this _vacation._ ”

Riku pursed his lips, and Kairi hummed as she threw her legs onto Sora and Riku’s laps, tapping her chin in thought. “We really haven’t been back home in a long time,” she finally said, “I guess it’d be good to go back.”

At those words, Sora relaxed further into the couch, letting out his breath in a _‘woosh’_ , and Riku laughed, resting his cheek atop his head. “A vacation…” he mused, “well – we’re probably due one. Should I email Aqua, or are you gonna do it?”

“Don’t do it until my time off request gets approved! I don’t want to make all these plans and then not be able to take time off work.”

“You’re going to get time off,” Riku said confidently, Kairi nodding in agreement. “There’s no doubt there – so just let us know when you do, so we can get things together on our end. Okay?”

“Alright,” he sighed, “I’ll put the request in as soon as I can." Kairi kicked her feet in excitement until Riku had to grab one of her ankles, “sorry, sorry, it’s just – a vacation! Riku, how long has it been since we’ve had any kind of break?? A _real_ break??”

“Since our sophomore year in college,” Riku deadpanned.

“Ugh, longer than I thought.”

Sora gaped at them, aghast, “you haven’t had a _vacation_ since _college??_ What on earth did you do when you didn’t have practice?? Or any shows???”

They both shrugged, “we mostly just…stick around the city?”

“Took lots of naps,” Kairi counted on her fingers, “went on dates, caught up with friends…stuff like that.”

“We just never really tried to go very far,” Riku explained, “it always felt like the next set of rehearsals and the next show was waiting around the corner.”

“And you call _me_ a workaholic.” Sora sniffed, “this just – this is depressing!! Riku, hand me my laptop.”

“Uh…why?” He sounded confused as he did what he asked, passing over the laptop that was resting on a small table near the couch.

“I’m emailing Ventus my request and putting in my paperwork,” he said determinedly, “you haven’t been on vacation since _college,_ I can’t – just the _thought_ is depressing me. No way – we’re going home, for sure.”

He could see Kairi smile in the corner of his eye, and she scooted closer to rest her cheek on his shoulder, watching his fingers fly across his keyboard. “Riku,” she hummed, “do you think you could send an email to Aqua? Just to let her know?”

“Already on it,” Sora heard him say, and it was quiet except for the clicking of keys and the tap of fingers on a phone screen.

“Hey,” Kairi said as soon as he sent off the email, “when we get back home, where do you want to have our first date?”

“Um –” he blinked over at Kairi in surprise, letting Riku pull his laptop away from his numb fingers. “Oh, um…well…”

Shyness rose up in him suddenly, made him quiet, and Sora suddenly found himself looking anywhere but them. “I guess,” he fumbled, “we could, um – for our first date we could…we could go to the café we used to visit all the time when we were kids. The one in the market. And we could have an actual lunch, for once, instead of just drinking coffee and eating desserts.”

"But we're still gonna have coffee and desserts after, right?" Riku asked.

"Oh, obviously, yeah!"

“That sounds nice,” Kairi praised, “very simple.”

“What about our next date?” Riku asked, and Sora looked between the two of them helplessly. “Aren’t you supposed to be planning it?!”

“But it’s nice to hear your ideas – what would you like our second date to be?”

“Ohh, I don’t know – maybe, um –” Kairi grabbed one of his hands and began to play with his fingers, and Sora felt his brain short circuit. “We could go into the city!” He squeaked out, “we could go into the city and…see the museums. Maybe go to the park and uh – have a picnic?”

“No movies?” Riku asked, laughter in his eyes.

“I don’t know if I’d be able to pay attention to the movie,” Sora admitted in a whisper, and then he gave the two of them a sharp look, “I know _both_ of you would be very distracting.”

“That’s fair. What about our third date?”

“I…” Kairi laced their fingers together, his eyes nervously drifting down to their joined hands, “I’d like…a day at the play islands. Just the three of us. We can swim all day, and look around and see how much has changed, and what's still the same, and after the sun sets, we can spend half the night watching the stars.”

It was simple – all of his ideas were so simple. But it was what he wanted – aside from a ridiculous number of kisses, it was all he’d ever wanted.

“Wow,” Kairi sighed, “it’s all so romantic, isn’t it, Riku?”

“Sora is the most romantic of us,” Riku stated, and if they weren’t penning him in, Sora would’ve covered his face in embarrassment. “Hey,” Kairi warned, giving Riku a glare, “I can too be romantic.”

“You told Sora about how we got together, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Did you tell him the _whole_ story?”

“Maybe I did!” Kairi said, so obviously lying, and Sora choked out a laugh and reeled them back on topic. “You really do like it, though? You don’t think it’s…too boring?”

“Any time spent with you could never be _boring_ ,” Kairi declared, outraged.

“We’ll do it,” Riku promised, and he felt his heart kick up into his throat, hopeful. Sora looked up at him with wide eyes, unbearably bright.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. We’ll take you on whatever dates you want. All the dates you want. Okay?”

It was everything he wanted – Sora still couldn’t believe that he got to have this chance.

“Yes,” he answered, breathless, just as Riku leaned in to press a kiss to his mouth, “alright.”

“Riku,” Sora heard Kairi say distantly, and a weight slid into his lap as arms wound around his neck. “Riku, I want to give him a kiss, too, c’mon.”

Sora huffed out a quiet laugh as he pulled away from Riku, and turned to cup Kairi’s face in his hands, pulling her close and letting the thoughts of emails and vacations drift from his mind for now.

-o-

About an hour out from Destiny Islands, you can start to smell the ocean.

As soon as he hit that hour mark, Sora opened the windows to his car, enjoying the light hint of seawater that carried through the air – the scent of home. Mid-morning light streamed into his car, and Sora took a chance to peek on Riku and Kairi, both of them still deeply asleep.

He couldn’t blame them – when they left Radiant Garden, the sun had barely begun to rise, the roads quiet and empty as the world was barely waking up. Leaving at such an early hour had a purpose, though – the purpose being not spending the entire day on the road and pushing through the seven-hour drive and making it there before noon, traffic willing.

And for a good portion of the drive, traffic was on his side, and now here they were – one hour away from home.

“Riku,” he called out, “Kairi! Wake up, guys!”

Kairi didn’t budge, but Riku stirred with a groan, prying his eyes open and wincing against the glare of the sun. “Sora,” he mumbled, rubbing at an eye, “what time is it? Are we there yet?”

“Almost – we’ve got a little under an hour.”

Riku hummed lightly, taking a moment to stretch before relaxing back into his seat with a sigh. He took in another deep breath, inhaling, Sora guessed, the faint scent of saltwater in the air.

“The ocean…” he said thoughtfully, so quiet. “I haven’t seen the ocean in a long time.”

“ _That’s_ devastating.”

“Right? It was hard, back when we first left – it just felt so _weird_ , not being near it. It still does, but…I guess I just got used to it.”

He turned his head, looking out to the scenery, staring as though he could summon the sea closer by sheer willpower.

It fell silent, but it wasn’t bad; it was a peaceful kind of quiet, that had Sora relaxing a little further into his seat.

“Are you tired?” Riku asked him suddenly, “I can drive the rest of the way, if you need a break.”

“Nah, I’m alright! We’re almost there, anyway. Thanks, though!” He tossed a grin at Riku before turning his attention back onto the road, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

It felt like time was slowing to a crawl, the closer they got, but eventually they entered the area of Destiny Islands proper, and Riku’s breath caught in his throat when he finally saw it – the endless, sparkling stretch of ocean.

“Getting close!” Sora said happily, “Riku, wake Kairi up! She shouldn’t miss this!”

Kairi whined in complaint as Riku shook her awake, but her irritation was quickly drowned out by awe, the sparkle of the ocean reflecting in her eyes. “It’s been ages,” she breathed, “I’ve missed the ocean so much.”

“We can’t be away from it for too long,” Sora told her, “we are islanders, after all.”

Both Riku and Kairi had their faces pressed to the glass as Sora drove through town, pointing out the open-air markets, the stores, the café that they used to frequent as kids. “It looks just how I remember!” Kairi cried out.

Sora was driving on autopilot at this point, away from the town and onto a road he knew by heart. Eventually he saw it – a white house with a brown roof and a wrap around porch.

Home.

“We’re here,” he said softly, pulling up and quickly putting the car in park, shutting off the engine and throwing off his seatbelt. The three of them clambered out of the car, Kairi moving to the trunk to pull the bags from the trunk while Sora stretched as high as he could go, his back popping so loudly that he felt like jello when his arms dropped back to his sides.

“Mom and Nalani don’t know that we’re here yet,” he explained as he joined them in grabbing their luggage, “so us showing up is going to be a surprise! Dad helped me plan it and keep it secret.”

What Sora wouldn’t tell them is that he had made sure to have a little surprise set up for them, too – but they’d find out in a moment, anyway.

“Come on, let’s go!” Leading the way, Sora led them up the short stone walkway to the porch, up the steps and to the front door, reaching out to press the doorbell without delay.

“I’ll get it!” Sora tried to bite back a grin at the muffled call of his father’s voice, but his smile helplessly grew as the door swung open and he was staring at his father’s beaming face.

“Hi, dad,” he whispered, and his father quickly swept him up into a hug. “It’s good to see you!” he whispered back, taking care to keep his voice low, and his father stepped back to look him over, “how was the drive?”

“It was great! No traffic at all.”

“I’m glad.” His father let him go, turning his bright blue eyes over to Riku and Kairi, “and here’s some sights for sore eyes!”

He wrapped Riku up into a hug, and then Kairi, “how have you two kids been?? It’s been ages!”

“We’re good, Uncle Aouli,” Riku said, “it’s good to see you! We’ve missed you.”

“Is everyone here?” Sora asked, and his father nodded, “yes, yes, everyone’s in the kitchen – come on in! Let’s get your bags and get you settled, I’m sure you’re tired.”

“Oh, we’re fine,” Kairi demurred, “Riku and I slept most of the way – Sora did all the driving.”

They shuffled into the house with luggage in tow, his father leading them to deposit their bags in the living room for the time being before heading to the kitchen. “Well, that took a long time,” Sora heard his mother’s voice drift from the kitchen, “who was at the door, Aouli?”

“You’ll never believe it, Junie – it was a surprise delivery! Look!”

His father swept an arm out, gesturing them to come in, and Sora couldn’t stop smiling if he tried as he stepped into the kitchen. His mother’s eyes went wide as she saw him step into the kitchen, and he gave a little wave to her and Riku and Kairi’s parents, sitting at the table. “Hi!” he said brightly, and he heard Kairi gasp sharply at his back before a scream filled the air.

_“Sora!!!”_

One of the chairs clattered loudly as Nalani threw herself out of her chair, and Sora quickly knelt to scoop his sister into his arms, letting her throw her arms around his neck. “Wow!” he laughed, “look at you, you’ve gotten so big!! Is this really my baby sister??”

“You’re here!!” She cried out, “Sora, you're here!! Sora, are you staying?? Are you??”

“Yeah, Nalani,” he promised, “I’m staying. You’ll get to have me around for a few weeks!”

Nalani jerked her head back to look at him, brown eyes wide, before dissolving into tears and burying her face in his neck. “Aw, don’t cry!” He huffed as he got to his feet, making sure he had a good grip on his sister before shuffling further into the kitchen, heading to his mother, who was standing halfway out of her chair.

While he’d been greeting his sister, Kairi’s father had risen out of his chair to greet her, and she rushed to meet him halfway, the two of them wrapped up in a tight hug, and Riku had his mothers wrapped up in his arms, head bowed as he pulled them as close as he could.

“Hi, mama,” he said fondly as he rubbed Nalani’s back in comfort, “did I surprise you?”

“Do you even have to ask?” his mother sniffed, eyes shining with tears as she fully rose out of her seat, wrapping him up in a hug. “It’s so good to see you, baby,” she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” he said, shifting his hold on Nalani. “I’m glad I can still surprise you, now and then. Come on, Na-Na, don’t cry, it’s okay – don’t you want to see Auntie Kairi and Uncle Riku?”

Turning on his heel, Sora waded back into the mass of bodies standing around in their little kitchen. Riku had finally let his mothers go, smiling as Minato reached up to wipe away the tear tracks on his cheeks, and Kairi was laughing at something her father had said, dashing the tears away from her eyes. “Uncle Keone, Auntie Minato, hi! Hello, Auntie Nanami – Riku, Kairi, come here! You’ve gotta say hi to my sister!”

Nalani had finally pulled her face away from his shoulder, and he brushed away stray brown hairs that were stuck to her cheeks, wet from her tears. The air was so _warm_ and bright, ringing with voices and laughter, and Sora felt something in him relax, so happy to be surrounded by family.

“Alright now?” he asked gently, and Nalani nodded, sniffling. “I’m sorry – I was just happy. I really, really missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” He took another step towards Riku and Kairi, smiling when he saw them start to move, meeting him halfway. “Now let’s go say hi.”

-o-

The heat of the sun felt like a warm blanket draped across his bare shoulders, and Sora let out a soft sigh of content, the seawater dripping from the ends of his hair onto his shoulders providing some contrast to the heat. Looking out at the endless sea, he ran his fingertips across the rough bark of the paopu tree – _their_ paopu tree.

It was weird, being back here again after so long.

He never visited the play islands, after the three of them left the island, and every past visit home he continued to stay away. It just didn’t feel right, trying to go to the islands without them.

But this time was different.

“There you are!”

Cold, wet arms wrapped around his torso, and Sora was pulled away from his thoughts as Kairi pressed herself against his back. “We’ve been looking for you! We came back from swimming and you were gone! I thought this was supposed to be a date!”

“I’m sorry,” he laughed, placing a hand over Kairi’s, “I went to take a break from swimming and just…wandered off. Where’s Riku?”

“Right here.” He hopped up onto the large trunk next to Sora before draping his hair over his shoulder, wringing out streams of seawater. “What’re you walking off for? Some date you are, huh.”

“Rude!”

“It’s true!” Riku poked him in the ribs, “we’re supposed to spend time together. Wooing. Getting to know each other. All that shit.”

“Who even says 'wooing' anymore? And do we really have to get to know each other if we’ve known each other for most of our lives?” Sora swatted at Riku’s hand to get him to stop.

“I dunno,” Kairi piped up, “we _are_ pretty different.”

“Not _that_ different,” Sora said, “not so different that we don’t know each other.”

“I guess,” Kairi said, “but don’t avoid the question – what’d you wander off for?”

“Oh. Well –” Sora looked up at the sky, eyes eventually pulled to the bright paopu fruit that hung from the tree. “I just – haven’t been here in a long time. It just hit me, then – I’d never come back here, after we left for school. I didn’t even come here when I visited home.”

He looked down at his lap, scratching at his cheek, “I guess I just didn’t want to be here without you guys.”

They went quiet, the only sound being the hum of the waves and the cry of seagulls, before Kairi groaned, burying her face into his shoulder and giving him a squeeze. “How are you such a _sweetheart_??” She asked, distraught, “I don’t know how much more I can take!”

Sputtering with laughter, Sora patted her hands, “sorry, Kairi – you two are stuck with me. But I’m serious!! Isn’t it weird, being back here? Like, I thought about the last time we were here, and I just – I can’t believe it! It feels so surreal!”

He looked at them, eyes bright, “like, did you ever think we’d be back here, this way?”

Riku made a noise as he thought about it. “Well, I sure did hope. But we got here in the end, anyway, so I think it worked out alright.”

“Oh -! Oh my gosh, I just remembered!” Kairi pulled away from Sora and hopped off the tree, “Sora! We have something for you! Ah, damn, they’re in the bags – hold on, I’ll be right back!!”

And before he could ask what she was talking about, Kairi ran off, sprinting across the little wooden bridge and out of sight.

Sora pursed his lips, turning to Riku, “you gonna tell me what this is all about?” he asked, and Riku scoffed. “And ruin the surprise? No way. Kairi would kick my ass if I told, anyway. You can wait a few minutes.”

“ _Ugh_ ,” Sora groaned, dramatic, “fine. I’ll wait I guess.” He scooted across the trunk until he was pressed against Riku’s side and rested his head on his shoulder to wait. They were a few minutes in to playing footsie when Kairi returned, flushed and out of breath, a small velvet bag clutched tightly in her hand. “Got it!” She said brightly, “Sora, close your eyes!”

“For what-?”

“It’s a surprise! Just do it!!”

“Best to just get it over with,” Riku said, nudging him in the ribs. “Fine, fine,” Sora sighed loudly, letting his eyes slide shut. “Alright, they’re closed. Now what?”

“Now hold out your hands.”

“Wh –”

“Hold out your hands!!”

Sora rolled his eyes beneath his closed lids and held out his hands. “You better not let me fall off,” he warned, and Riku snorted. “As if. You’re fine, stop stressing.”

“Okay –” Sora startled at the sensation of something sliding onto his wrist, “open your eyes!!”

His eyes fluttered open, and his heart swooped into his gut as Sora took in the bracelets that Kairi had placed on his wrist – two of them, in the same style as the new bracelets he’d made for them, with the same golden star hanging down.

“There,” Kairi said happily as he gaped at his new bracelets, “now we match again!”

“Your mom helped us out,” Riku added as Sora continued to gape at them, speechless, “so we’d have them ready in time for our date. It kinda brings it all full circle now, doesn’t it?”

“…Yeah,” Sora finally croaked out, “it kinda does.”

It was a little different this time – Riku sitting on the trunk of their tree this time, pressed close to his side, while Kairi stepped into his space, violet eyes shining as she hooked two fingers onto the new bracelets around his wrist.

A little different, but not in a bad way – just like how they were a little different, but still able to fit together in other ways. It was still good.

Sora looked at them and felt his heart swell in his throat; he loved them so much he could choke on it.

He wondered if it was too soon to tell them that.

“Thanks, guys,” he said instead, “I love them. I’m never taking them off.”

“You better not,” Riku said, “they’re a promise – okay?”

“A promise to what?” Sora asked, a little breathless because, _wow_.

“Our usual promise!” Kairi said, though Sora thought it felt a little different, “that we’ll always be together – no matter what. Now, come on, we’re burning daylight! I thought you wanted to go swimming all day, Sora?”

“I did,” he said slowly, using the fingers Kairi still had hooked into his bracelets to pull her closer, “but I think dates can have a few detours – it’d be a lot nicer if we stayed here, wouldn’t it?”

Kairi hummed as his nose brushed lightly against hers, eyes lidded, “gonna give it up now, Sora? Third date hasn’t ended yet, you know.”

He let out a loud laugh, “I’m not – Kairi, I just wanted a kiss! Besides, even if I _was,_ there’s nothing here but _beach_ , there’s no way -!”

“There is the treehouse,” Riku pointed out, “and what did you think we brought that huge bag for? You think we dragged that along with us just for the hell of it? No, Kairi and I were _prepared_.”

Sputtering with laughter, Sora reached up to cover his face as Kairi let him go to rise onto the tips of her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing kisses across his face.

 _I love you,_ he wanted to say, _I love you, I love you both so much._

He held onto it, though, instead of letting the words fly out like he wanted. Continued to laugh and pretend to squirm away from them before giving in and letting them kiss him as much as they wanted, before they gave into the heat of the day and ran back to the sea.

Sora loved them _so_ much – but he could wait a little while before telling them. He had all the time in the world to tell them, now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (kairi kept sora distracted at the beach long enough for riku to fancy up the treehouse with blankets and fairy lights because they'd planned on camping out in the treehouse for the night from the jump. it was all very romantic because when it comes to romancing sora, they can share the romance braincell and make it work)
> 
> when I first started plotting this in my head, it was because I'd started a oneshot of them buying a house and it wasn't clicking for me. I wanted to round out the au I had in my head to see if that would help, so we'll see if it did! keep an eye out.
> 
> this was the most fun I've ever had writing a modern au - this came out much easier than the christmas one in my humble black ass opinion. but now it's done!! it's a wrap! we did it guys!
> 
> thank you so much for everyone that's read this and gave comments and kudos - I've read each one multiple times and they brighten up my day. thanks for sticking with me until the end! I appreciate y'all!
> 
> now I'm off to eat the birthday cake I bought for myself and drink some champagne lmao. until next time!


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